RIFF REWIND (11/07/2013): Before the Eyewall - "Before the Eyewall"

Before the Eyewall is a heavy, psychedelic, instrumental trio based in Columbus, Ohio. BTE was brought to life on January... 26th, 2010 and is comprised of 2 former members of current SLUDGELORD faves Kenoma. Having released one demo in 2011, they self-released their first full-length self-titled album in March of 2013.  Limited to 500 Copies, the CD was presented in a clear case with artwork and layout by drummer Aaron O'Brien-Eichman. “Before the Eyewall” was recorded at Popside Studios in Troy, OH by Brian Whitten and mastered by Colin Marston. 

Before the Eyewall are best described as doomy, atmospheric and psychedelic, drawing comparisons to similar doomy post-metal acts like Mouth of the Architect or even Light Bearer, with a strong focus on heavy cinematic tension and guitar interplay.  Released four years ago, the proposed vinyl release never came to fruition and with no word on a follow from the band, or indeed whether they are still active, I feel it is time to remind you all just how awesome this album was and perhaps reignite the spark within the band to follow up this stunning record. 

Today we are rewinding the riffs back 4 years to the day in order present the astonishing “Before the Eyewall”. So if you missed it the first time, be sure to remedy your error by checking out our review in full below. 

By: Clayton Bartholomew

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 4/6/2013

Label: Independent

On “Before the Eyewall”, we see stripped down walls of sheer octave-dropped power, as expansive and grand as any mountain range, and with all of the subtlety and patience of tectonic plates shifting between continents

“Before the Eyewall” CD//DD track listing:

1). Skyrises

2). Path of Ash & Desperation

3). Tome of the Concentric Eye

4). Skyfalls

The Review:

If Red Sparrowes were to drunkenly have casual intercourse with the members of Yob, the unplanned result would sound something like Columbus, OH’s Before the Eyewall.  And praise be to Jesus! For allowing such a union to procreate, the bastard offspring brought to full term. If not for this, I would be forced to rethink my pro-choice stance. There should be laws against hasty decisions not to let something this good come to fruition.

On “Before the Eyewall”, the first full length album that the three-piece have crafted, we see stripped down walls of sheer octave-dropped power, as expansive and grand as any mountain range, and with all of the subtlety and patience of tectonic plates shifting between continents. Just as easily, the band weave psychedelic clean interludes… catchy guitar-based melodies that expand into richly orchestrated textures, building the groundwork for further sonically devastating outbursts of lower register earthquakes that leave the listener pummelled one minute and pacified the next.

Did I mention that these guys are instrumental? The lack of vocals (which can sometimes detract from the hypnotic qualities bands like this are going for) are not missed. This record goes through an evolution and the arrangements are varied enough to keep the listener engaged without the need for vocal clutter.

Overall, this record serves as a journey, building in intensity to the point of crescendo. Themes reoccur; reimagined and refreshed, serving as reminders of the more powerful and thought-provoking sections of the record. Some three piece bands without vocals could probably find it difficult to keep things interesting, but this is not the case with Before the Eyewall. “Before the Eyewall” is definitely worth picking up, and reveals a band that demand to be paid attention to.

Band info: Bandcamp || Facebook

MUDBATH - Corrado Zeller (Album Review)

Album Type: Album

Date Released: 31^st January 2015

Label: Lost Pilgrims Records (France) / Grains of Sand Records (Russia) & Desordre Ordonné (Canada)

Corrado Zeller – Track Listing

1. Thus I Saw The Destructive Voracity of An Obsessive Ritual

2. Shrim Alternative Healing Center

3. Salmonella

Bio

Started in 2011 as an excessive and primitive project, Mudbath was soon to become an obsession for its four members. Based in the dull city of Avignon in south-east France and feeding off the blight of their time, the band blends abrasive sludge with ritual doom and blackened hardcore. After a first EP ("Red Desert Orgy") in 2012 and a flurry of gigs across Europe, the quartet will return in 2015 with "Corrado Zeller", their first full-length LP, recorded and mixed by Mathieu "Mouffi" Croux (Verdun, Sofy Major...) and mastered at The Boiler Room by Collin Jordan (Eyehategod, Cough, Bongripper…)

Members

M - guitars, vocals

F - guitars, vocals

M - bass, synths

L - drums, vocals

Review:

Mudbath return after an almost 3-year absence to release their eagerly anticipated debut album - Corrado Zeller. A disturbing and twisted version of Doom/Sludge Metal that soon gets under your skin. If you remember these guys from their acclaimed debut EP, then be prepared for one heck of a ride, as Mudbath are here to make you confront your worst fears. This album is a heavy slab of brutal riffs with added menace. Do not let the short 36-minute run time fool as Mudbath have created one of the heaviest and brutal Sludge/Doom Metal albums you are likely to hear in 2015.

Opening track - Thus I Saw The Destructive Voracity of An Obsessive Ritual - sees Mudbath lay down some heavy filth-ridden Sludge played at a brutal mid-pace with menacing vocals to match. If you are a fan of THOU then you are going to live this album as I did. Mudbath add strands of psychedelic doom and hardcore to the atmosphere as they make you battle through the musical elements where danger is the key. Mudbath's sound is very raw at times as they capture the sludge based down - tempo atmospherics down to a fine art-form. This is a song with sense, purpose and most of all nightmarish anguish, which you can feel the intense pain being played all around you.

2nd track - Shrim Alternative Healing Center - is a more fast-paced song with Mudbath offering a more experimental approach to their music. They still capture the manic energy of the first track but give it a more stripped back approach with some bone-crunching doom and gloom riffs making you feel that danger is lurking at every corner. Mudbath really do make you feel fearing for your life as the music turns into a twisted and disturbing jam based session. I may have detected some Bongripper influences lurking in the background. The instrumental work is superb through out, as Mudbath do not waste a single second in showing you what they are actually made of.

However, it is the 3rd and final track where Mudbath will impress people, the most as it's a haunting psychedelic trippy 18-minute epic where there is no escape from. Salmonella starts as a slow-paced song before exploding into life with Mudbath adding more layers of distorted noise, riffs and vocals that will make you feel uneasy at times. It ain't pleasant to listen to at times but the music is a thing of beauty to behold at times. When Mudbath start adding psychedelic noises to the mix then it is where the album gets a life of its own. It turns into an unmissable album, which makes Corrado Zeller one of the first must have albums of 2015. The vocals have a life of their own as they venture from death-based growls to more grizzled clean vocals, which provides a few scares along the way. All in all Mudbath have created a heavy and brutal album that is going to go down a storm with the Doom/Sludge Metal community. it is a brilliant album that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Lost Pilgrims Records for the promo. Corrado Zeller will be released on Vinyl on Lost Pilgrims Records (France) / Grains of Sand Records (Russia) & Desordre Ordonné (Canada) from Jan 31^st 2015.

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