Eyes of Fire "Ashes to Embers" CD
[Century Media]
Hopefully most people know by now that this band features former members of the mighty Mindrot in its ranks, and this excellent piece of work marks their long awaited debut full-length after last year's teaser "Disintegrate" EP (the two best song from which, the still memorable "Hopeless" and "Anyone", also appear here). Expect thick, massive compositions that changeup the dynamics frequently between the punishingly heavy and the soothingly restrained, with lush clean passages and singing vocals, an eerie edge, and some downright oppressive fury - all with an obvious emotional thread that never wanes. Opener "The End Result of Falling..." is more than seven minutes long and starts out quietly, acting almost as one slow, gradual build that finally starts to kick further into gear more than four minutes in with more intense vocal harmonies and distortion, but even then it continues at its consistent pace - layering in some melodic lead lines before calming back down to softer singing and sparse clean passages at the finish. "Fly Away", as brief as it may be at scarcely over three minutes, has the unforgettable chorus of the record - just fucking intense - superbly exemplifying the band's perfect trading off between varying levels of aggressive vocals over driving rhythms and percussion. In fact, it should be noted that the drumming is absolutely awesome throughout this entire record, always spicing up even the simplest of patterns with accents and subtle nuances that keep the rhythms constantly evolving - a rarity these days that never fails to please me. The recording is pristine in my book. Everything is dense as hell and perfectly mixed, keeping a thick and cohesive balance without lacking detail or identity. Sometimes the guitars have a slightly overproduced edge (see "Fear"), but the character of the sound definitely has a place, and they don't stick with the exact same tones all the time, there are a lot of effects manipulated and carefully placed little alterations that create a nice blend of different layers and textures (at times accented by a few tasteful synth tones, no less). The layout is printed on matte paper (an excellent touch) with some gorgeous artwork by Stephen Kasner, though having seen the final artwork before the album was laid out, I'm unsure as to why the band made a few alterations to the actual pieces of art (future pressings of the CD will have the unaltered, original artwork). Lyrically the songs are fairly simplistic, all dealing with personal turmoil and relationships in a bleak and hopeless manner: "So sick and tired of getting my dreams stolen right from under me. So many times. Is this all there is? There's got to be more to this. Rid me of this burden, free me from this endless pain. This world is leaving me empty..." All in all this is a spectacular debut that in some ways continues the progression of Mindrot's growth over the years, and will no doubt be a must have for fans of that band. The atmosphere of the record is very consistent and has an intentional flow, making for a complete whole that feels unified throughout the varied range of the droning and repetitious doom angles in "Breathe" on towards the frantic basslines and more rhythmic, slightly jarring chords of "Shelter". Highly fucking recommended. (9/10)
Running time - 53:29, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: The End Result of Falling..., Fly Away, Hopeless, Anyone]
Eyes of Fire - http://www.eyesoffire.us

This review has been displayed 2716 times.