With an eye (no pun intended) for atmosphere and a penchant for gloomy synth and guitar textures, EYE, led by singer and guitarist Jessica Ball, capture and release intense emotions through their introspective blend of sounds reminiscent of artists as wide-ranging as Portishead, A.A. Williams and Electric Wizard. Already accomplished in the world of low and slow metal through her work as singer of North Wales based sci-fi doom band Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, Ball shows off a new side of her repertoire on EYE’s debut album Dark Light.
From the first dramatic synth notes of intro track ‘Window’, it’s clear that EYE are something special, with deliberately paced stoner rock energy meshing seamlessly with lush synths and punchy, lo-fi drums in a match perfectly formulated for dark emotive music. Droning synths and trip-hop style electronic drums elevate Ball’s soaring vocals and crunchy guitar, interweaving with carefully placed threads for a complex sonic tapestry. While fans of her previous work may be shocked by this change in tone, open minded listeners will be treated to an album swimming in the same kind of dark atmosphere that Ball’s voice suits perfectly.
While Dark Light excels at creating dark, gloomy atmospheres, EYE do find time to let loose and throw down some thunderous riffs. Although undoubtedly not a metal project, on tracks like lead single ‘In Your Light’, which builds up from wavering introspection to passionate hope through its roaring, distorted guitar riff, or ‘See Yourself’, again ramping up slowly from a lone clean guitar to a fuzzed-out wall of noise, EYE prove that there’s more to them than just dreary ambience. It’s refreshing to hear a band that understands the slow crescendo, the heavy moments are so much more cathartic after a steady build up than if they’d just flown out the gate with blast beats and chugs.
Confidently walking himself into a compact yet crowded club, Rodger, aged 57, twice divorced, proudly donning his flat cap and Download 2016 t-shirt, is surprised a chart topping Australian pub rock band like AC/DC would play such a small venue, let alone for less than £20 a ticket. It’s only once the band start to play that he realises he’s made a terrible mistake. Visions of a night full of sing-along rock hits are quickly replaced with brutal blast beats and unrelenting screamed vocals as he grasps the magnitude of his blunder, he’s walked into a show headlined by Antichrist Demoncore (more commonly known as ACxDC).
As ACxDC explode into the first merciless track from their latest album G.O.A.T. Rodger begins to get the impression that he isn’t going to hear ‘Thunderstruck’ tonight, the savage, minute long extreme hardcore of ‘Wanna See A Dead Body?’ rupturing his eardrums as he struggles to comprehend the madness in front of him. It’s not like Rodger can appreciate ACxDC’s inspired blend of hardcore punk, death metal and tongue-in-cheek sarcasm as his pint of Robinsons Trooper is knocked to the floor by an errant spin kick. To the more discerning extreme music fan meanwhile, G.O.A.T.’s concise yet nuanced take on the heaviest reaches of hardcore is bound to provide plenty of circle pit-worthy moments.
Originally somewhat of a bastion of wholesome optimism and unfettered joy, it appears Bears In Trees have not been immune to nor unaffected by the oozing rot polluting the UK’s sociocultural environment since the release of their first record. However, it would be weird and a direct contrast to their mission statement if they weren’t. After becoming household names in UK Gen Z residences with the release and viral sensation of their debut 2021 record and everybody else smiled back, the self-proclaimed “dirtbag boyband” soon came to be seen as a welcome reprieve from the confusion and banality of immediate post-pandemic existence, something in thanks to their ever-so kitschy approach to ukulele and brass flavoured indie-pop and pop-rock.
The aforementioned record was a contrast and escape from the bleak outlook of that time, especially with its wide-eyed optimism and ceaselessly joyful overtones. However, despite its cute appeal, for many it was a record that was sweet to the point of sickliness and sunny to the point of just being simply blinding. For some, in a time of such concern, the record’s perpetual smile became too overt. How To Build An Ocean: Instructions wears a slightly different face. It may be the band’s slide into adulthood or the coldness of modern life affecting them, but the new record from Bears In Trees feels more grounded and a product of the current times. However, that’s not to say that their perpetual whimsy and sugary sweetness has soured. The warmth that Bears In Trees once cast remains, but is now behind some passing clouds. But through nuance, juxtaposition and a more mature delivery, once the sun shines its warmth feels more welcome then ever.
Glassing have that often missed trait of being able to create something beautiful to listen to that is also crushingly heavy and ethereal in it’s makeup. The constant dichotomy between the whispered, emotionally charged vocal delivery and the screamed black metal shrieks provides a foundation for an album that takes you on a journey, through liminal spaces generated by the celestial shoegaze of guitarist Cory Brim, punctuated by blitzkrieg drumming, and huge arena esque beats. This record toys more with lose structures in the songs, where before there were limitations there is now only imagination, each member of the band cut lose to pound out their most emotionally profound record yet.
No where else is this more apparent than in the opener ‘Anything you want’, bludgeoning from the get-go, the track blasts out it’s main harmony, a dissonant fiddly drone that repeats ad nauseam creating a sense of hurtling towards inevitable demise. This juxtaposes against the shoegaze rich second track ‘Nothing Touches You’ that starts off in a much more contemplative region, spacing out the melody with thoughtful bass accompaniment and drumming that builds tension to a lead line that is reminiscent (if only for a second) of early Alexisonfire. The comparisons to the Canadian post-hardcore power houses don’t step there, as the song continues to allude to them over and over in the choices of harmony and lead delivery against that ever present foundation of sandpaper vocals.
What began as a steady stream of singles releases in 2022 have merged into the calm waters of a full length album, Microwave return to add to a celebrated discography hailed as one of the strongest in alt-rock/emo. There is a weightlessness to this new album, beginning with borderline ASMR vocals over lush and lucid guitars. It’s meditative and it perfectly introduces this incredibly chill but poignant journey, so shake off the negativity and embrace optimism.
Never losing sense of who they are but wanting to embrace a post-pandemic positive approach There is an R&B and psychedelic ambience shining and feeding the home soil. It’s a wonderful hybrid blooming and flourishing to give us a paragon of pure positivity and motivation, it’s got an abundance of hopeful energy to share while giving you food for thought.
‘Ferrari’ is our introduction to Nathan Hardys vocals and his voice is such a soothing companion for the album, it’s less aggressive and even with out the ever present backing screams of Tyler Hill the full impact of the band does not play second fiddle to the trippier instrumentation, it’s a delightful ingredient successfully enlightening the albums intentions. The pop elements sit so comfortably around the albums core, benefitting the sound and message tremendously with catchiness and simplicity.
Full of Hell are seemingly unstoppable. After an incredibly busy 2023 you might have thought the band would take a step back for a moment to breathe, but no. Coagulated Bliss is the follow up to 2021’s noisy and nightmarish Garden Of Burning Apparitions. Announced in mid-March, it was showcased alongside the striking new artwork by Brian Montuori. Where the artwork may have been a hint, the first moments of opening track ‘Half-Life of Changelings’ is a clear indication that this isn’t quite the same Full Of Hell. Straight out of the gate there is a massive melodic hardcore melody, not noisy feedback-laden suffocation. There is a more tempered pace and a deliberate sense of rhythmic punctuation. In less than ten seconds, all of those changes are introduced before giving way to frenetic guitar licks and pulverising blast beats and guttural vocals, culminating in seventy one seconds of the trademark ferocity the band have excelled with for fifteen years. It’s still Full Of Hell after all.
The choice of singles was a great way to slow drip feed this fundamental change in the bands sound. Lead single ‘Doors To Mental Agony’ immediately blasts into a gnarled old-school death metal stomp, a punchy call-to-arms delivery of the vocals before the track is bursting at the seams with intense blasts. Similarly follow up single “Gasping Dust” surges forth with brain melting ferocity; skirting between pummelling death metal and relentless grind for a breathtaking sixty nine second run. Finally, the title track breaks the chains completely showing their hand and delivering what is arguably the best track Full Of Hell have ever written. An actual sing along chorus with defiant accented punch on the delivery, catchy noise rock melodies paired with sludge riffs and the harrowing intensity the band always bring to the table.
