Surprised nobody has made mention of this release yet. The packaging was in line with their In Sides cover but much darker. Nice ink sketches adorn the inner sleeves and labels. 2-black 180 gm disks for the release and 2-colored vinyl (magenta + blue) disks. I've been listening to it slowly. It's a lot to absorb. Some great new styled sonic passages mixed with classic Orbital beats/harmonics. it might be a grower. A few songs caught my attention and reminded me of the darker, experimental side of "Snivilisation and In Sides." Some felt like high energy festival anthems. We'll see.

New Album Title Trivia - "If Monsters Exist It Was Buried Deep Within" is a line said by Jim Broadbent in Harry Potter 6 : Half Blood Prince. I only know this as just watched the movie for the first time tonight lol. "The Raid" also samples Michael Gambon although not sure where from and the closing sentence "There's A Growing Need..." is Sir Michael Fallon MP of Sevenoaks, the Hartnoll's home town :-)

ok my 2 cents' worththe problem is we've been spoiled in the pastif you're a fan of orbital you're a fan of some of the finest electronic music to ever spew out of a keyboard - everand we've kind of gotten used to itthe days of Sniv and In Sides have come and goneI have DJed all through the 90s and half the 2000s and I hardly ever played an orbital tuneand yet they make my favourite musicit just wasn't "club" musicit was stay at home, smoke a couple of blunts, drink a couple of beers music - but structured well better than Underworld (for example)it was etherealit was mind-bogglingly life-changingthey have hit heights that just cannot be attained anymoreand so we come to the new albumyes, 2 or 3 forgettable tracks - they've tried to go clubby - maybe there is an audience they are trying to reachmaybe In Sides just wouldn't sound as good todaymaybe they don't want to recreate an earlier sound - the term "artist" means just that... artists need to evolvewhether they evolve at the same rate as their listeners is another thingI have tracks 6 and 7 on repeat - they are that goodthey are, and will forever remain, my favourite ever electronic music producers even if they drop the ball every now and againpeace

Well said sir...... Orbital are always evolving, growing and moving forward which is what keeps their music fresh and interesting!Looking at the comments below it shows some of their fans haven't though.

Oh dear. Oh dear. Right from the start I had feared the worst for Orbital's second comeback, with Phil Hartnoll now appearing in every press shot with a handlebar mustache and a leather jacket, like your best mate's particularly tragic uncle, and the social media campaign that's unfolded to promote this album has been a cack-handed attempt at these new-fangled "memes" the kids do, full of predictable shots at Brexit, the Tory party, yada yada yada. But, oh boy, if this album isn't every worst fear confirmed.For a duo who have made some of the best albums in electronic music, Orbital certainly have a couple of stinkers in their back catalogue, and this one has to be right at the bottom. Being an Orbital fan has always involved a resigned acceptance of the fact they will act up at least once on every album with a tedious joke track, but here they seem to have modelled the whole record on the deliberately irritating cheeriness of Spare Parts Express or Easy Serv. And while on Wonky they limited their influence from the 2012 zeitgeist to a dubstep remix of Satan, here they alarmingly seem to think that stadium EDM is something worth playing around with. Penultimate track The End Is Nigh is basically indistinguishable from the kind of horrendous ultra-brite fodder you find soundtracking Youtube videos with titles like Cristiano Ronaldo All Goals Season 2017/18.Elsewhere there are the obligatory throwback nods to older, better records and the familiar tropes - the synths, the chords, the sampled speeches - but they no longer sound poignant or effective, they simply feel like two ageing men still trying to act like they did in their 20s. Even the most forgettable Orbital albums had at least one or two gems that would belong in their classics repertoire, but I'm struggling to find even one here. Vision OnE is the only track that didn't leave me itching to hit the skip button.Other reviewers have mentioned that this sounds like the work of a creatively frustrated band messing about in the studio to get something recorded. Orbital certainly went through that phase with 1999's The Middle Of Nowhere, which was full of daft sampling, stylophone lead lines and some madcap changes of direction. But I don't understand why an act who on their *second* comeback would be struggling with writer's block. If you can't come up with any ideas, don't bother recording! Orbital could tour their scintillating live show until their teeth literally fall out and they will never be short of money or goodwill from the fans. The very existence of this album feels unnecessary.

"Elsewhere there are the obligatory throwback nods to older, better records and the familiar tropes - the synths, the chords, the sampled speeches - but they no longer sound poignant or effective, they simply feel like two ageing men still trying to act like they did in their 20s."Get over yourself, even if Monsters Exists isn't their best album, their vision is still miles ahead of this kind of sniping "review"."The very existence of this album feels unnecessary."That is just wrong, if you know how to program your CD-player 30 minutes of this album is essential listening. I mean just listen to a track like Vision OnE, if that is not up there among their all time best you gotta have your hearing checked.

Does anyone know if “Hoo Hoo Ha Ha” is any kind of satire?

Anyone else found that the first disc on this LP is dished/warped? 2 copies and both the same. Is this a GZ pressing? The first copy I bought also had a gashy scratch on it too.

Yeah, the first LP on my copy is totally dished too. It's still playable, but you wouldn't want to DJ with the b-side.

Hmmm, i can just about accept 'The Raid' but 'Hoo Hoo Ha Ha' is, ahem, laughably bad, and surely should have been binned in favour of something from the bonus disc.

Numanoidthe main lead of that track would have been even better if a Saxophone played it IMO.No sax please, we're British.

not so ... this is typical Orbital another three words

To me Hoo Hoo Ha Ha is an absolute stunner, it is a playful/sentimental throwback to the Middle of Nowhere album, and it is also got that "trademark" Orbital harmonic bass backing. I wish they had used more horns on the album, there is an Oboe on the break in Vision OnE, and the main lead of that track would have been even better if a Saxophone played it IMO.

Hey! am I the only one who thinks this album is freaking brilliant? It's a little darker in temperament perhaps to previous works and not all the tracks are dance floor orientated but in a really good way. "The Raid" for example is what would happen if Massive Attack remixed The Editors only better. It's a more mature sound that not only encompasses all of their previous Orbital work and solo materials from the past 30 years but is also looking beyond....This album like Snivilisation may cause a little controversy at first between old fans but will become as respected and loved as it in no time im sure.p.s. buy the 3cd version from HMV as the same price as deluxe version and the third disc is old school Orbital, the Reoccurring Mix of To Dream Again is worth it alone :-)

That's it exactly, it wasn't what i expecting and apart from Hoo Hoo Ha Ha not their traditional treademark sound or style which made it refreshing and new and will stand the test of time too im sure, just hope they play some of these tracks live on their new tour :-)

no me too ! amazing super album , in fact i did not expected un album so brilliant ! if you are too much stuck to the old orbital's sound you can't appreciate properly ....but f you are open minded you do !

Who sequenced this album? There is a lot of winners on display here, but put together in a way that makes them more like losers. Obviously "Buried Deep Within" needs to be the opener, follow that with "Hoo Hoo Ha Ha", "Kaiju" and "Vision OnE" and et voila the epic multi-track Orbital voyage is on. I just can't understand how Kaiju is omitted from the regular album, one of the best tracks on this package. The Raid & The End is Nigh also needs to be sequenced together.

When an artist has something that's eating at them as they work, you could get different results; depending on the artist. The added stress could make the artist focus more. The stress could also lead the artist to get frustrated and experiment. It seems that the latter is what is going on with Orbital's latest album. It has been made clear since the album was revealed that this was going to be unlike something the duo had ever done before. This material on this album is a very noticeable departure from their previous works, even Wonky. Anger and darkness permeate throughout many of the tracks bringing with it a sense of urgency. Some of Orbital's trademark sound shines through at times but the darkness has taken the front of the stage here. Some of the tracks are great and memorable, the others are misses. The opening track "Monsters Exist" has bits of The Blue Album in its foundation. "Tiny Foldable Cities" I could not really get into except for it's Kareful Remix, "P.H.U.K." standing out and "The End Is Nigh" growing on me after repeat listens. "Buried Deep Within" is probably the best non-single track of the album, an addictingly ethereal ambience. The album ends with "There Will Come A Time" which brings with it the sadness at what we as humans have become, while being offered a chance for redemption which echoes the early track "Choice". After listening through twice, I have to say that this is probably my least favorite studio album by Orbital to date, slightly being beaten out by Wonky. The album is in no way terrible, with a few great tracks. Could this possibly be because of the 'stress' that the artists were likely confronted with that came out in this album? Could it be me with rose-tinted glasses wishing for more material that hearkens back to their early days? Could I just have not 'gotten it' in my first two playthroughs? All of these are answers are possible. This album will likely divide Orbital fans, just as the 'monsters' have divided us as people for the past several decades. If you're not a huge fan of Orbital, you're probably gonna want to stream the album before buying a copy.-----I'll be doing a review of the vinyl box set when that comes in, and I'll review the 'bonus tracks' at that time.

What's even more sad is that the cd2 in the deluxe edition contains more "meat" and "fresh" ideas [and even beautiful moments, momentarily regaining my faith in Orbital after Wonky] than the main album playlist: mostly made of 4/4 festival bangers prepared for drunk audience [I guess??]. Is that what it is all about ? Hey I know the days of In Sides or Middle Of Nowhere are long gone, but look at some artists like e.g. David Bowie ! His last album was a proof you can remain creative until the very end - look for vision and stick to it no matter what. IF YOU ONLY WANT TO. Money or art ? or BOTH but done with STYLE like they used to back in the 90s. Orbital must decide. While their name still means something to +30 +40 old fans like me. Peace.

Agree. Hoo Hoo Ha Ha is like the venga bus is coming b-side - what were they thinking?!? The rest of the album is actually quite listenable with some decent moments. My top 3 of theirs is 1.In Sides, 2.Green, 3.Brown. Wonky was actually fairly decent. Worst would be Middle Of Nowhere and The Altogether.

Totally agree. Orbital is my #1 electronic artist of all time and this album f'in blows. Actually on my 2nd listen now. The opener was killer....then it died just like our planet and its people....lol. I actually loved the shit outta Wonky. Before this album, my lowest scored album was The Altogether [Disc 1]. So so so so disappointing.