With Our Arms to the Sun, ‘Orenda’ – Exclusive Album Stream

Happy 4/20 everybody! If you happen to be in an altered state of mind (or even if you’re not) we’ve got the perfect soundtrack to your day — With Our Arms to the Sun’s newest album, Orenda.

This four-man crew of Arizona dirt wizards teamed up with Melvins legend Buzz Osborne to record WOATTS’s fourth studio album. With Osborne behind the board, With Our Arms to the Sun crafted their finest effort to-date, taking listeners on a sonic odyssey in the vein of bands like Tool, Pink Floyd and Isis.

The word "Orenda" references a supernatural force believed by the Iroquois Native Americans to be present, in varying degrees, in all objects or persons, and to be the spiritual force by which human accomplishment is attained or accounted for. With Our Arms to the Sun are endlessly searching for their highest potential as well and their constant visualizations brought them to Tool, Primus and Coheed & Cambria’s stage in 2015.

But even after performing for 20,000-plus fans in Arizona, WOATTS have kept grinding away in bars and clubs. They’ve persisted despite disrespectful treatment on tours, a fallout with their record label and manager, and other crushing blows that would stamp out a young band’s hopes for success.

“The majority of the songs that I composed for this record were written under real extreme conditions; touring with bands where you’re getting paid nothing and eating peanut butter and jelly, being forced to stand outside in the snow and s–t,” says frontman Josh Breckenridge. “When you’re in those scenarios, it’s just anger. If I’m writing something and I want someone to feel angry, I don’t want them to have to analyze it. I want them to hear it and to have it well up.”

On the opposite end of WOATTS’s inspiration, Breckenridge explains, “We study a lot of spiritual books, philosophical psychology, things like that. It was like, ‘How can I delve into my own psychology? How can I take this instrument and do what I’m doing for my voice? I’ve never seen anyone do that. I figured, why not?’”

This amalgam of experiences plus the challenges of fatherhood and cognitive balance became Orenda, an album that beautifully showcases With Our Arms to the Sun’s unique sound and perspective. Through its big riffs, introspective lyrics and vocal incantations, the journey of Orenda is a remarkable one, offering a hand to each listener to come along for the full 47 minutes.

Check out our exclusive stream of With Our Arms to the Sun’s Orenda album. To grab a copy, head over to iTunes or the band’s PledgeMusic page for special bundles.

See With Our Arms to the Sun in the Best Metal Albums of 2017 (So Far)