While made up of musical luminaries who have proved their mettle in other much lauded musical outfits (Discordance Axis, Mortalized, Human Remains, Kill the Client, Burnt by the Sun, Hayaino Daisuki, etc), this is hardly a necessary qualifier in the face of a ferocious musical accomplishment such as Gridlink's Orphan. While possessing the energy, aggression, and overall focus of its predessor (2008's Amber Grey), the songs contained herein provide an ever denser and more nuanced musical assault combining short bursts of accelerated thrash, blinding passages of helicopter blasting, monochromatic smears of near-noise, and the alien howls of singer Jon Chang.