B-Side Guys

Just hours after its release, Gabrielle Ornate’s “Stolen Faces” already feels like a timeless warning—a haunting musical fable that transforms ancient moral lessons into cutting contemporary commentary. The bohemian songstress has delivered a Gothic metal masterpiece that examines humanity’s oldest vices through a kaleidoscopic prism of sound.

The track opens with an invitation that borders on incantation, Ornate’s voice floating above minimal instrumentation before crashing waves of distorted guitars flood the soundscape. This careful manipulation of dynamic contrast becomes the song’s signature—quiet moments of introspection repeatedly shattered by thunderous walls of sound that mirror the jarring psychological states described in her lyrics.

Production-wise, “Stolen Faces” showcases Ornate’s deft balance of organic and synthetic elements. Programmed percussion and “synthetic machine pulses” provide mechanical precision beneath singing guitar leads that weave melodic threads through the chaos. This juxtaposition creates fascinating tension—clinical coldness against passionate expression—echoing the song’s exploration of authenticity versus illusion.

When Ornate describes “molten gold” and “opulence” in early verses, her delivery remains detached, almost clinical—a narrative voice observing destruction rather than participating in it. By contrast, the chorus explodes with personal urgency, particularly as she examines the “powerful facade” central to the song’s thesis. This shift in vocal approach underscores the dual perspective of observer and participant in moral decay.

Most compelling is how Ornate’s musical choices embody her thematic concerns. The cyclic nature of the composition—particularly in how guitar motifs loop and repeat with increasing intensity—creates an auditory representation of the psychological deterioration described in her lyrics about “chronic questioning” and “deafening screams.” The bridge’s wordless vocal section functions not as empty space but as the ultimate expression of identity loss—language itself stripped away.

Ornate has created something rare here—a rock composition that functions simultaneously as visceral experience and philosophical exercise. “Stolen Faces” invites listeners not merely to headbang but to confront uncomfortable questions about authenticity in an era where curated appearances increasingly mask hollow interiors.

In an alternative rock landscape often defined by either self-indulgent introspection or empty posturing, Gabrielle Ornate has crafted a mythological mirror that reflects contemporary anxieties with uncommon clarity and conviction—proving BBC Radio 6’s Tom Robinson prophetic in suggesting we would indeed “be hearing a lot more” from this uniquely visionary artist.