INTERVIEW & ALBUM REVIEW! Buried in TALENT - Orchid Throne: The story of One man who recorded an entire album solo.
Elisha
In one of my first major posts, I detailed all the albums that released on the 9th of January. It was such an interesting blog to write as it made me listen to artists I’d never heard of and try out genres I usually wouldn’t. One artist on the list was Nick from Orchid throne.
Orchid Throne’s album Buried in Black is cinematic, emotionally gripping and at times painful in its vulnerability. As someone who doesn’t particularly listen to doom metal or death metal, I had a surprisingly fantastic time listening to his album. Upon reaching out to the artist, I got the chance to speak to him about his music, what goes into it and what he wants to come out of it.
Before we delve into the world of Orchid Throne and hear stories from him, I have a story for you. Erika is one of our 9 writers (and still growing, always looking for more writers ;) ) If it weren’t for Orchid Throne, it may just be a team of uno at World Here.
I was telling Erika about how much I liked the album but wasn’t sure I could do it justice because I, quite honestly, know nothing about the genre. I know that I felt it, I could hear the pain and sorrow and dramatics in what he was screaming. I couldn’t understand the words but I felt them all the same. I think that’s what music is about. And you’ll never find that if you don’t at least dip your toe outside of the genre you’re used to.
Here’s what Erika, an established doom-metal listener, had to say about Buried in Black.
Erika
Orchid Throne is an independent melodic death metal artist whose first full length album was released earlier this year. Despite my being an impassioned listener, but certainly no music journalist, even I can hear from a mile off that Buried in Black is a deeply atmospheric testament to Bonsanto's talent as a musician and writer. The tone of the album is consistent throughout which allows each track to flow satisfyingly, even if not seamlessly, into the next, something I love in an album as it makes listening to it in full greatly enjoyable and immersive. The haunting blend of clean and harsh vocals pair beautifully with the existential themes of the songs, often focusing on death, loss, and the scars of life, creating a memorable listening experience.
I think my favourite track on the album would be Moonlight Revelry. The acoustic section at the beginning sets the scene before Bonsanto shatters the eerie peace with a well placed scream. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys the incorporation of acoustic instruments in metal to evoke an atmosphere akin to taking on a fantastical quest, bands like Insomnium to mind.
Overall a great listening experience and a wonderful demonstration of talent, I'll be keeping my eye on Orchid Throne.
Elisha
If I hadn’t asked Erika to help me out she wouldn’t be a writer for us and I wouldn’t have thought to ask anyone else if they wanted to write for me. Now we have a team of 9. So thank you Orchid Throne for being a part of our journey. Anyone, whether you’re into doom metal, like Erika or never listened to it in your life, like me - go and listen to his music and support this one man band.
Interview with Orchid Throne
Who do you make your music for? Do you write for yourself or other people?
“I suppose the truth is a little bit of both. I wrote a line in my artist bio that reads ‘Orchid Throne is music from the heart for fellow souls who need it most.’ and while that is true I do think that while writing I write for me mainly. I personally want to enjoy it and push my own limits and not be afraid of labels. However, I also have a decent grasp on what’s cool, what sells, what I like about other artists and I want to not just make noise but resonate with a wide audience. I like a good balance of intensity and accessibility.
But at the end of the day, music is for other people. We make entertainment. Whether that’s a laugh or a cry, we want to elicit a response from the audience and I do concern myself with that. It is my hope that someone out there will hear my emotional vulnerability and be able to relate, or even misinterpret it in a way that helps them relate, the same way I do with my favorite art. Once you release it, it's gone, your intentions don’t matter, it is now owned by everyone who consumes it and that’s beautiful. I just hope it resonates with people and maybe even helps someone with their own feelings. “
You write a lot about death and your fear of it - does writing music about it help?
“Hm, ya know I don’t know if I’ve considered that. Good question! What certainly helps is the keeping busy aspect of creation. The work helped. I also think listening to it now I find a strength in it that I was able to express and articulate these feelings. Some of the lyrics were literally from dark nights of me essentially journaling down how low I felt, what was on my mind, with no intention of ever speaking them ever. And here they are now in song. It’s kind of crazy to me still, really tearing my heart open for the public like this, but yes it does feel good. I can’t say for sure if it will help me from ever experiencing those intense feelings again but I know death comes for all and I’m determined to make the most of the time I have so I am learning to live with it.”
What inspires you most when making music?
“Probably other music. I am a massive music fan and I listen to a lot of different stuff so I have absorbed so much of what I consider to be cool in the process. But while I am actively making music I am obviously not really listening to much else so I would say I get inspired by zooming out and envisioning the goal, the final product, what story does that tell? How does it feel? Even before it exists, I think so much about that. I’ve learned to trust my gut that if I am enjoying it then surely someone else will too. I’m the first person I have to impress. So staying inspired requires me to go big picture and think about what I’m creating, how would I react if I were the first time listener? What feelings am I evoking? I’m just an obsessively creative mind and I really can’t get enough of making art or thinking about it.”
Where do you hope your music goes next?
“Well, musically speaking, I have more sounds I wish to explore with this project. I know Buried in Black is getting a lot of talk around the genre mixing, but I actually pulled back quite a lot, there was way more material I cut and more styles and sounds I want to explore. But when I saw the story the album had to tell I cropped the edges and made it make sense. So in the future I wish to experiment more and build on the world I started here with Orchid Throne. As far as personally where I hope to see it go, I would say, I hope as many people hear it and enjoy it as possible! I really believe there is something here for any fan of heavy music. I think it would be really cool to someday form a live band and play some shows, many people are asking me about that, and if it happens it will be awesome but it was never the plan initially. I hope to get more music out soon as I already have so much shelved.”
What’s your favourite track on the album?
“Oh boy, that’s a tough one! They’re like my children now haha. I do really love both epics, Dreamworld was so strong when it clicked for me that these two separate ideas worked together so well that I knew it had to be the first thing people heard. With Promise just flowed out of me in a very free form way from one thing to the next and features an old melody I have been dying to use in a song for so many years and it came out really awesome.
But when I listen to the songs I think I am most impressed with Moonlight Revelry, as far as songwriting goes, it's gotta be my best work on the record. It’s the fun one that lightens the dark mood a bit, it has the really fun intro that I laughed so much recording I actually decided to hit record on my laughs! I just began experimenting and it also flowed out of me very naturally. It has a great pre chorus that leads into the chorus which is something I usually avoid in songwriting because its predictable, but this song is supposed to be comforting and fun and I think I nailed it, I am very proud of that song, and that outro on it, might be my favorite thing on the album, I think it’s just chef’s kiss.”
Can you tell us some interesting or fun facts about the making of the album?
“One interesting fact that some reviewers maybe failed to realize is that this is all 100% me, one guy, and I have also never done this before! I may have been playing in bands all my life, but I have never recorded a record, only ever my part on my one instrument and someone else produced. I have never produced a record before this or even tried for that matter. I learned all of this along the way and I announced Orchid Throne to the world in Nov 2024, and one year later, the album was finished and announced in Nov 2025. I truly had no idea how to do any of this before then and I’m pretty proud of what I managed to pull off even though I know the mixing could be better and I plan on getting better with the next release!
Other fun facts would be the sound design on the record was stuff I recorded throughout the process, the percussion and flutes in Moonlight, the TV turning off and on sound in What Defines Us, I knew I wanted there to be some kind of thruline on the record and that those touches would add that little bit of depth needed to glue it together. It was fun thinking of how to create these textures! Like the TV clicker sound is actually me slapping batteries together in my microphone.”
You’re clearly very musically talented - playing all the instruments. How long have you been playing and training? What was the first instrument you ever played? When did you realise you could perform such powerful screaming vocals?
“Well thank you very much, I don’t consider myself to be all that talented, I am friends with so many incredible players it is crazy. I’ve been playing since I was in high school really, but I did pick up a guitar first when I fell in love with music around 10-12 years old. I didn’t own one for awhile but played what I could and I really loved guitar but everyone I knew was better, then my life changed when I saw kids at my school playing the drums and I knew I had to do that. I’ve never had lessons and I wouldn’t say that I “train” I sort of just mess around with anything musical that I find and then put it all together. I’m not like a good piano player for instance but I can write and play the part and press record. I’ve always tried any instrument I can get my hands on and I hope to feature more of that in future releases.
As far as the vocals go, I honestly, genuinely, did not know until I started making this album! I never really tried screaming too much and even singing I don’t practice but I sing in the car. I knew if I pushed myself I could sing for this band, but it was probably the biggest challenge of all of this. The screaming took many attempts but I eventually found that if I really just laid into it and poured my heart into the lines, that even if it was a little ugly, it was cool. I surprised myself completely, I really didn’t even know if harsh vocals would be a thing for Orchid Throne, I knew I wrote with them in mind but I always worried I couldn’t pull it off. I just tried my best and I think they came out the way I wanted, you can hear my words, you can tell I mean them, and that’s the passion and brutality I wanted from those parts.”
What were your favourite parts to record?
“I think some of my favorite parts to record were some of the more intriguing basslines. Like in Ephemerality or even the chorus of Moonlight Revelry. I’m maybe the most familiar with recording bass since I perform bass in three of my other bands so I got to have some fun writing and recording stuff that was fully me. Grooving on the bass just feels good anyway. But beyond that, getting those good vocal takes felt really good, otherwise they were frustrating haha, and laying down guitar harmonies, while tricky, is really satisfying and I am happy with how those came out.”
If you were someone else listening to your own music, how would you describe it?
“Melodeath/doom with folk and black metal tinges, but honestly, a reviewer I had absolutely nailed it on the head with how I imagine the record. He said, ‘the melancholic heft found in Swallow the Sun, the emotional part found in Anathema, and the battered vulnerability found in Woods of Ypres, all without crossing over into costume play.’ that’s exactly what I thought and what I was going for yet somehow in the process it still doesn’t sound like anyone else in particular, it sounds like me, and I am super happy about that.”
Can you describe a moment when making the album where you had a breakthrough about what you were going to do?
“Yes, originally there were at least two more tracks on the album, and even more I had in the maybe pile but I knew it was gonna be too long. I initially wanted a shorter album but the slow tempos were making that a difficult task. So when I trimmed the fat around it and saw that there was a picture forming, so to speak, that if I did this, then this, then that, where it would lead and I had that lightbulb moment of okay, this is no longer a collection of singles, this is a “story”, this says something, there is a theme here. Once I made the difficult decision to stop working on some songs and focus more on others I was able to quickly put everything in its place and create a true “album experience” one of those records where hearing the whole thing at once is its own joy, beyond the individual tracks you may like.”
Any other notes, facts or interesting things about your music, history and this album?
“An interesting fact is that, working with my album cover artist, Ryan Gassaway, he brought to me the idea of painting a piece of wood which was not what I asked for but he showed me his concept and I really loved the idea. He also had never tried it before, so we were both experimenting and creating something new and unique here with this album. He took a piece of particle board and added in the black or negative space and shades of black to create an illusion of falling in or bursting out, however you see it. Deep down in the center of the black abyss is a symbol of death, maybe its me, maybe it's you, a lone skull down in the dark. The autumn leaves represent a top layer, the ground and the figure is buried in the black. I think it looks really cool and as far as I know no other metal band has a cover like that. Real art from a real artist, and not the same things you see all the time in metal. I really think it helps make the album special. “
Any upcoming news or events to tell us about?
“I just decided to release my first wave of merch! Another thing I wasn’t sure I would do when I started but people were asking so CD’s and a T-shirt are now available on my bandcamp page! Other than that, I have plans for a second record already, there is a ton of music I am still sitting on, and possibly more new music coming sooner than people may think. I am a busy guy and my other bands are recording new releases as well, but I wanna keep this ball rolling and get out more music soon. This is not a one off, but rather a start to a vast catalogue I hope to create.”
Listen to Buried in Black on any platform
Instrumental version also available