Track By Tracks: Orchid Throne - Buried In Black (2025)

1. Dreamworld:

The album opens up with a song that I consider to be, sonically and conceptually, a slow descent into an anxiety attack or a waking nightmare. It tackles the idea of depersonalization or derealization. It’s often described as a dreamlike state or as not feeling real.

All the songs on the record are very personal to me, and for this one, while I do not really struggle with anxiety like so many others, I do have intense anxiety attacks when it comes to my own death, or thanatophobia. This song aims to capture the feelings I have experienced when consumed by those thoughts. I think it sets the mood for the album very well, and the subject made for a very cool progressive song structure, as when you come out on the other side of an attack, you return to the way you were, and the song follows suit. It ends with the idea that all you can do is accept it and face it.

2. Ephemerality:

This song, I felt, flowed out of Dreamworld perfectly, as it is a song written about death, facing my own mortality, and the temporary nature of all things. It goes through my struggle with the concept of dying and lamenting the fact that so many say they aren’t afraid to die. It seems so obvious and simple to me to be afraid of dying, and I am sure many are, but that’s part of why it's hard to talk about with anyone, and these feelings get buried down deep.

This song has some fun facts, a couple of lyrical nods to some of my favorite works, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and Dream Theater’s A Change of Seasons. “All that you touch and all that you see” and “gather ye rosebuds while ye may”. Musically, I think the song has some interesting play on a major sound in a doomy song and a bassline I'm very proud of.

3. What Defines us:

I have followed politics closely all my life; any of my friends could tell you that much. This song delves into that world in the overall context of my album, where the political landscape of the United States is a root cause of my depression. It’s a song about my generation (Millennials) and what we have had to endure for our entire lives, and the realization that it will likely be for the rest of our lives as well.

I never wanna give up on my hopes of a better world or country, and the lyrics tackle the defeating feeling of “fighting forever”. We have endured so much tragedy, and the song sort of feeds into the hopelessness of realizing that it has shaped our generation one way or another. Sonically, it’s a more uptempo one and features a bit of my more melodic influences and provides a good change of pace at this point in the album.

4. Moonlight Revelry:

I like to call this the “fun one”. Inspired by my time on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, one thing that moves me emotionally as well is those moments in life where we feel truly alive. Those memories of love, laughter, and celebration. Watching metal bands on stage bringing the party to so many of us made me feel like, ya know, it's important to have a good time and remember what life is all about, as my music is very depressing and perhaps not always the vibe you want.

The song still is kinda dark, it dives into the struggles of surviving daily life, the work grind, the mundane, all in waiting for the moment we can gather with our friends and loved ones around the fire, drink, sing, and get to what life is truly about. It’s like a love song to the moon, as when the moon rises, we can lift our spirits together when we have the time once again. There is an aching, a longing for this feeling to stay, but it cannot, as life goes on and grinds us down. But it is important to savor these moments.

This could possibly be my favorite track, although it’s impossible to pick. This song accidentally became very folky, and I embraced it because folk music is usually party music in my mind. The intro is all sounds made by me, the flute, ocarina, percussion, and even laughter was all me in my studio, and I was cracking myself up with how neat it sounded. It represents the vibe of being with your people around the fire.

5. Guilt:

Back to the depressing! Guilt represents a lot of things for me. Essentially, boiled down to its essence, it is about the emotion, the feeling of guilt. Maybe you feel guilty after enjoying some moonlight revelry? Perhaps the guilt of knowing you were in the wrong on something eats you up. But for me, I also had a moment in my life when people tried to use guilt as a weapon against me. People will try to drag you down, and it can be terrifying, but the song ends on a positive note that you can stand firm and get past it in time.

This is the earliest material I have featured on here, as the main ideas of the three distinctive sections were written over a decade ago, when I was in the throes of these feelings. Much of the lyrical and even some of the musical content on the record was born in the fires of actively feeling the feelings they represent. I'm proud of the honesty on the record. The guitar solo was one of a few improvised solos on the album that I wanted to express a raw feeling, more so than be a particular string of notes.

6. Breath of Autumn:

Another really old piece, it was always an instrumental, and I liked the idea of it as an “intro;” however, it still stands on its own. I love the use of textures throughout the track, leaves blowing in the wind, children laughing on a playground, etc. My goal was to really capture, in my mind, the essence of Fall. With “Fall” being a theme on the album, I think this sets up the final track perfectly.

Mary Beck provides flute on this one, and I love featuring one of my favorite instruments that makes me think of the season. As the Fall arrives, we prepare for the Winter…

7. With Promise:

I am very proud of how this turned out, though I didn’t expect it to reach about 13 minutes. The music is an amalgamation of a few ideas I've had over the past couple of years that I could always see forming a greater picture. It’s really awesome to finally see that picture come to life. This is another trip through doomy stuff, melodic death, black, and death metal, as well as some of the folkier elements from earlier. Mary Beck returns on the flute again for this one. I think this song ties the whole album together well for a finale.

Conceptually, this is a dark one that gets into the topic of suicide, hopelessness, and defeat. You hear the “fall” happening. I have rarely struggled with these feelings in my life, but I wanted to capture some raw emotions from the times I have been at my lowest. The song explores the idea that maybe it’s better to leave this world early, full of promise. Rather than fail at something again, you could die a young person who people always remember fondly, as you never screwed up. Idealizing innocence in a way. I know this one is kind of heavy, but I had to get this out there as I wanted my art to be honestly me.

The outro is a heartfelt sharing of real thoughts I penned in one of those low moments in my life, and I love the ending section as a sort of outro or ending credits scene. It leaves you with a question: maybe I'm already gone, or I pick up the next day and continue on, but I think many of us struggle with this question, and I want people to know there is always a tomorrow for you if you continue writing your story.