5Rand comes from Rome, moving in that fertile space where modern metal clashes with melodic death metal and creates something intense, emotional, and deeply physical. Julia Elenoir leads the charge with her trademark dual approach, switching between harsh vocals that crush everything in their path and melodic lines that add a cinematic layer. Alongside her stand guitarist Pierluigi Carocci, bassist Acey Guns and drummer Andrea De Carolis, a tight core that has grown album after album.
Their previous works, “Sacred/Scared” and “Dark Mother”, earned them a strong position in the European touring circuit where they shared stages with Dark Tranquillity, Vader, Infected Rain and more. Their new album “Ordhalia”, produced by Marco Mastrobuono and mastered by Jens Bogren, marks the next step in their evolution. Darker themes, more personal torment, heavier atmosphere and a guest appearance by Milo Silvestro from Fear Factory push the band into new territory.
“Ordhalia”
lands like a storm that has simmered for years. 5Rand
taps into internal collapse and turns it into metal that is brutal,
theatrical and built on emotion that cuts straight through. The band works with
a sense of pressure that’s constant, more like a psychological weight that
never slips away. From the moment Julia washes
each track with her shifting voice, it becomes clear why 5Rand has become such a reliable modern metal
force in Europe. There is no overreach, no unnecessary drama, only pure
intensity shaped with focus.
“Bloodlife”
is the album’s burning nerve. The description around it matches the sound. Anxiety
as an enemy you can never outrun. The track crashes in with riffs that grind
forward, drums that push the tempo with no relief, and Julia roaring with a
kind of raw exhaustion that comes from deep inside. The video’s imagery, the
gas mask figure and the confinement, fits the mental suffocation portrayed in
the song. It’s direct, cruel, honest.
The title
track “Ordhalia” brings a more cinematic sweep through an atmosphere that’s
heavy with personal struggle. Everything is tight and controlled, just a clear
direction into darker emotional space. “The Nihilist”, featuring Milo Silvestro, adds a mechanical punch. His voice
blends well with Julia’s aggression and the
track hits with that industrial edge associated with his background. It is one
of the moments where the album widens its sonic identity without breaking its
character.
Across
“Ordhalia”, 5Rand avoids overdecoration. The
album stays focused, emotional, violent and tense. It works as a unified body,
each track feeding the next through a shared internal turmoil. The production
by Mastrobuono is intense and direct, while Bogren gives the final edges their precision. It
is an album built with intention, shaped with care, aimed straight at listeners
who want modern metal with more emotional depth than usual.
Score: 7.5
5Rand:
https://www.instagram.com/5RAND_official/
https://www.facebook.com/5RANDofficial
Art Gates
Records:
https://www.artgatesrecords.com/
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