Bear in mind their name, it seems that few outside of their native land have caught a glimpse of this quintet until now. After a searing self-titled EP and debut full length Underperformer they seemed to fly under the radar regardless of their ingenuity within the hardcore realm. Ignore them at your peril with their second full length outing which sees them bound forward in their song writing, lyricism, and message.
Opener ‘Generation L’ throws you in at the deep end. A brooding start that builds as vocalist Victor Kaas shifts between shrill screams and blood curdling yelling. His vocals are raw as a fresh wound caused by skating across gravel when you came off your bike as a kid. It is clear to see why Victor has stepped in as new vocalist for LLNN as his range is undeniably fantastic. The lyrics stamp down a clear theme for the record also. ‘Whatever we’ll end up doing, we will always fail.’ This clearly not a statement about this first track which is far from a failure. The mix from the off is also as intriguing with varying guitar lines coming from all angles. The depth in the lower end adds swathes of meat to the bones of the sound.
EYES also know when to keep things more straight ahead with barrelling hardcore too. ‘IT’S HAPPENING’ uses its scattergun snap of drums to lead the charge. It is an unrelenting two and half minutes of arm swinging brutalism as is title track which quickly follows. Which violently calls out those that spread misinformation in the name of their ‘truth’. Fitting in with the album’s themes of global catastrophe and how there generally isn’t much to celebrate in everyday life, their sound is refined and as urgent as the message they are delivering. Victor Kass’ vocal delivery is as venomous as ever and rightfully so. We have a lot to be angry about in this world. ‘dull BOY’ is anything from dull. Abrasive guitar sliding and riffs attack you as they do on ‘Value’ whilst drummer, Simon Durjhuus, again underpins everything with incessant, headache inducing, pounding of his kit. His power is a key component to the force and energy of this record.
Barely halfway through the record and they have yet to open up the secret door to the backroom of their shop to show the wares in a highlight ‘Bbbbbbbliss’ which feels like you’ve overdosed and lost your mind on drugs as your eyes rattle around your head. The closing three tracks are an unrelenting, consistently aggressive, and fierce until the last breath. Outside of their home nation EYES have yet to garner as much support as they really should have but this record might just wake people up to the urgent and exciting sounds coming out of Denmark. Every component of this record is an adrenaline shot not just in a sonic sense but in its message and contents around the state of the world and our place in it. Do we stand by and let the world burn or do we take action? EYES are not here to congratulate anyone; however the praise should definitely be aimed in their direction with an album that has stamped their distinctive mark through a barrage of sound. With festival slots already lined up this summer the deserved applause will surely come.