O.R.k., featuring Italy’s celebrated vocalist, producer and award-winning film score composer Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari a.k.a LEF (lead vocals), King Crimson‘s Pat Mastelotto(drums), Porcupine Tree‘s Colin Edwin (bass), Marta Sui Tubi’s Carmelo Pipitone (guitars) are ready to reveal the first single “Kneel To Nothing” from their forthcoming new album on Kscope – Ramagehead.
The track “Kneel To Nothing” emphasises the band’s bewilderment brought about by our modern world; a world of technological information overload, of uncertainty and post-truth messages. Songwriter Lef explains more “We’re not preaching, we’d rather leave the lyrics open to different interpretations, but I guess this is one possible interpretation of the ‘Kneel To Nothing’ lyrics.
“As musicians, we collaborate across the miles thanks to the internet, so it goes without saying we aren’t against technology in general, but at the same time, it’s unarguably clear that the same technology has successfully made its way inside our bodies (and lives) in a potentially dangerous way in the last 20 years.
“How we react to impulses, live our relationships, and feel in general has become deeply influenced by new tech. We all seem to be trying to outdo each other, we can’t get enough of this constant competition through social media, and it’s making us more insular in real life. We also place an innate trust in the strength of our senses, but in a evolutionary perspective, we could end up diminishing of all our senses due to our evolving lifestyle. We’re becoming too lazy to read an article – let alone a book, too bored to listen to a song that is longer than 3 minutes, and we relentlessly skip from one impulse to another without really feeling anything. In a way we’re therefore ‘slaves’. It’s not as spooky as the visionary movie directors from the past have pictured it, but it’s happening in a subtler, yet still potentially hazardous way. We have somehow we’ve become both devoted and addicted to our smart phones”
The forthcoming album Ramagehead was created from the band’s collective vision, unique influences and a multi-layered reflection of their powerful and engaging live experience. The resulting epic contains all the ingredients of a fiery O.R.k. performance with dark and heavy riffing, mesmeric atmospheres. Recorded during 2018 at LefMusicStudio (Italy), The Wormhole (USA) and Nightspace (UK). The mixing for Ramagehead was handled by Adrian Benavides and three-time Grammy-winning engineer Marc Urselli (U2, Foo Fighters, Nick Cave), the mastering by Michael Fossenkemper, engineering by Benavides and Bill Munyon (King Crimson), cover art by Adam Jones (TOOL) and design by Denis Rodier (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman). The recordings, and involvement of SOAD’s Serj Tankian on a forthcoming single, solidifies the band’s serious intent to use their musical chemistry in exploring the hard-edged possibilities within rock.
Ramagehead tracklisting:
Kneel to Nothing (instant download on digital pre-orders)
Signals Erased
Beyond Sight
Black Blooms (feat. Serj Tankian)
Time Corroded
Down the Road
Some Other Rainbow Part 1
Strangled Words
Some Other Rainbow
Ramagehead will be released on 22nd February on CD / 180g Black vinyl LP / Digital and is available to PRE-ORDER HERE https://ork.lnk.to/RamageheadPR
O.R.k. have an extensive live campaign planned in support of Ramagehead which will begin in February 2019 with a European and UK head line run as well as being special guests on the continuing “Dissolution Tour” from new label mates The Pineapple Thief.
Colin Edwin comments “‘Ramagehead’ is our most intense, ambitious and accessible work to date and I am really looking forward to exploring the new material in a live environment and sharing our unique collective energy together. For me, O.R.k. is always a completely immersive and unforgettable experience in the live arena, so with new tracks to play and an opportunity to reach places and people we’ve yet to get to, this tour will be our best yet.”
Tour Dates:
** show with The Pineapple Thief
15.2 Ravenna (IT) – Bronson
16.2 Lugagnano di Sona/Verona (IT) – Il Giardino
17.2 Pisa (IT) – Lumiere
21.2 Bari (IT) – Garage Sound
22.2 Roma (IT) – Largo Venue**
23.2 Milano (IT) – Santeria Social Club **
24.2 Pratteln (CH) – Z7 **
26.2 Stuttgart (DE) – LKA Longhorn **
27.2 Frankfurt (DE) – Batschkapp **
28.2 Strasburg (FR) – La Laiterie **
1.3 Zoetermeer (NL) – Borderij **
2.3 Hamburg (DE) – Grosse Freiheit 36 **
3.3 Copenhagen (DK) – Store Vega **
5.3 Stockholm (SE) – Nalen **
6.3 Oslo (NO) – Rockefeller **
8.3 Iserhagen/Hannover (DE) – Blues Garage
10.3 Cologne (DE) – Yard Club
12.3 Munich (DE) – Backstage
13.3 Budapest (HU) – Durer
14.3 Nove Mesto nad Vahom (SK) – Blue Note
15.3 Berlin (DE) – Music & Frieden
17.3 Paris (FR) – Petit Bain
19.3 London (UK) – Borderline
20.3 Newcastle (UK) – o2 Academy **
21.3 Glasgow (UK) – St. Luke’s **
22.3 Manchester (UK) – o2 The Ritz **
23.3 Birmingham (UK) – o2 The Institute 2 **
24.3 Bristol (UK) – SWX
Follow O.R.k.
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Kscope:1st floor, 52 Lisson Street, London, UKNW1 5DF
North America Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com
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