| A Band of Orcs | |
| Origin: | Santa Cruz, California, USA |
| Genre: | Thrash metal, death metal |
| Years Active: | 2007–present |
| Associated Acts: | Andrew Soto, El Pasty Guero hfa, Stellar Corpses |
| Website: | www.aBandOfOrcs.com |
| Current Members: | Gogog Bloodthroat Cretos Filthgrinder Hulg ElfRipper Oog Skullbasher Gronk! |
A Band of Orcs is an American metal band formed in Santa Cruz, California, in 2007. The current band line up includes five members known only as: Cretos Filthgrinder, Gahzgûhl Coffinfeeder, Srig Foehammer, Oog Skullbasher and Gronk!. The band claims to be a tribe of Orc warriors sent to Earth by "The Gruesome Grimp" to "bring forth the Domination"[1] They provide a very theatrical live show and always appear wearing very detailed silicone masks. They have played with notable acts such as GWAR, 3 Inches of Blood, Deicide, Master and ArnoCorps among others.[2]
Their debut EP, "Warchiefs of the Apocalypse" was released on August 15, 2007.[3] On November 23, 2007, Iron Maiden front-man Bruce Dickinson played the track “Bring Out Your Dead” on The Bruce Dickinson Rock Show broadcast on the BBC.[4] Currently, they are signed to Itchy Metal Entertainment (IME)/Heavy Metal-World.[5]
A Band of Orcs play in a style generally characterizable as death metal, although they themselves refer to it as "Brutal Orc Metal".[6]
The group generally puts on an elaborate live show featuring props, faux battles with one another and plastic weapons they hand out to audience members. Before their performance, they commonly play a slightly altered version of the track "Descent" from their EP, Warchiefs of the Apocalypse, as introduction music.
The show is peppered with commentary from each member in broken English, especially lead singer Gogog Bloodthroat who is known to give commands to the audience and make apocalyptic speeches between songs.
A Band of Orcs consists of five musicians who each portray a unique character of the Orc race, as in many popular games and works of fiction. They each wear very detailed masks and costumes at all times when representing the band and rarely break character.[7] [8] [9] Because of this, their identities are widely unknown.
The characters are:
| Title | Artist | Producer | Studio | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Warchiefs of the Apocalypse EP[12] | A Band of Orcs | Scott Sargeant | Trident Studios | |
| 2012 | Adding Heads to the Pile[13] | A Band of Orcs | Trident Studios |
| Title | Album | Artist | Director | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Into the Maelstrom" | Warchiefs of the Apocalypse | A Band of Orcs | Jess Bryden |