Review: Orion – Into Darkness

Style: Progressive rock, progressive metal (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Rush (Snakes & Arrows), Caligula’s Horse, Steven Wilson, Triumph
Country: United Kingdom
Release date: 16 August 2025

An inevitable part of the human experience is getting sucked back into a passion project by the siren call of dopamine after calling it quits. Sometimes, the chemicals that govern how we fill our time are just too powerful. Such is the case with British multi-instrumentalist Ben Jones of Orion—after swearing off music late last year, the unbridled passion and itching desire to make music became too much. Exactly one year after latest release The Lightbringers, Orion is back with Into Darkness, another slab of 90s Rush-inspired progressive rock with a twist. Does Jones bring us into the light of his creative pursuits, or is it only darkness ahead?

Into Darkness marks a time of transition in Orion’s sound—whereas The Lightbringers was singular in its approach to Rush-y 90’s alt rock, Into Darkness extends tendrils in myriad directions, including djentier grooves (“Left Behind”, “A Father’s Love”), brooding atmospherics (“Ordinary Men”), and even poppy synthwave (“Someday”). However, core facets of Orion’s sound are present in the snappy instrumental track “The Ant”, which features an upbeat, forward drum groove with dancing keyboard lines and an expressive guitar solo. Additionally, a two-part epic closes Into Darkness in a similar albeit more concise format compared to the extensive four-part epic that concluded The Lightbringers.

Jones’ biggest strength on Into Darkness is his generous utilization of groove, replacing the slick riffage of past works with a chunky, syncopated approach. While the gleaming melodies of Orion past were missed at first, the djenty aggression is welcomed, adding a needed heft to the compositions. Oftentimes, it acts as the glue of tracks, complementing moments like the rollicking bass work on “Into Darkness, Part 1”. Instrumental “The Ant” features groovy guitar and drum interplay with stuttering electronic effects, adding some extra flavor and texture. Additionally, the synthwave schmaltz of “Someday” blends excellently with the track’s thunderous guitar chugs, cleverly recontextualizing ideas in two fairly disparate styles. I do wish that these synthwave ideas were explored more heavily, as the experimentation comes off a bit jarring on the heels of opener “A Father’s Love” and exacerbated by the fact that it’s never explored again. “Someday” would either work better as a blueprint for Into Darkness or as a standalone piece, sticking out in a negative way against the record’s more moody pieces.

Many tracks feature subdued instrumental sections that serve as a springboard for explosive climaxes. Unfortunately, these calmer moments struggle to keep attention, as they are fairly sparse and a bit expressionless: the atmospherics of “Ordinary Men” lose me completely and leave me wanting for the heavier second half. “Into Darkness, Part 1” follows suit, dragging its feet for the first half before jumping into an electric and engaging bass performance, picking up steam considerably by its end. “Into Darkness, Part 2” is the most successful of these quieter sections, offering an atmospheric backbone through plaintive piano chords underneath Jones’ vocals.

Jones’ vocal performance fares slightly better than his more subdued songwriting but with overall mixed results. His performance on “A Father’s Love” and “Someday” lean into his hazy vocal delivery, helping to develop tension in the tracks’ brooding verses, even featuring a couple of melodies reminiscent of Geddy Lee’s later work. What’s missing is levels: though sometimes Jones hits notes outside of his typical range, the delivery stays at the same attack, lacking sufficient dynamics to make any single vocal performance stand out. This could either stem from the vocal production or simply the delivery. There are also times where Jones’ singing gets a bit too murky and teeters on unintelligibility, particularly on the louder parts of “Ordinary Men” and “Left Behind”. 

Not only did Ben Jones come out swinging from his early musical retirement on Into Darkness, but he also took the opportunity to expand the Orion sound beyond the confines of his previous work. Unfortunately, the record’s compositional adventurousness lacks taming and polish, feeling more like a series of unrelated tracks with a wanting vocal performance than a conceptually complete piece of work. Thankfully, Into Darkness promises several potential new directions for Jones’ music and opens opportunities for him to develop a unique niche in the progressive metal œuvre.

Recommended tracks: A Father’s Love, Someday, The Ant
You may also like: Fen, Mile Marker Zero, Rendezvous Point, Fusebox Poet
Final verdict: 6/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Official Website | Facebook

Label: Independent

Orion is:
– Ben Jones (everything)