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Eyes of Tomorrow/Perfect Sky – Songs of Faith and Demolition
WTF Records, Dedication Records
Release Date: 28/10/2022
Running Time: 27:00
Review by Rory Bentley
6/10
Since our Simon Black has taken control of updating our release schedule, I’ve had a lot more Hardcore in my inbox. Rather than waiting for me to ignore all the Power Metal/cynically swipe up the bigger band releases because I’m always on my phone when I’m supposed to be working before hoovering up the Hardcore, he’s cut out the middle man and started sending me this shit directly.
Part of me is insulted that I’m viewed as so predictable, but everything I’ve received so far has been bang on the money. Even with that said though, a split release by two bands that are described as FFO: Sick Of It All, Madball, Biohazard and Agnostic Front is unbelievably on the nose! This album should come with an oversized hoodie and a stick and poke tattoo.
Despite drawing from the same narrow (but fucking awesome) pool of influences, there is enough to distinguish Eyes of Tomorrow and Perfect Sky from each other, even though the differences may seem negligible to all but the Hardcore conisseur. But if you’re reading this review there’s a chance that you’re part of the Core community and this is going to be right up your street.
Eyes of Tomorrow definitely lean on the more Biohazard/Sick of it All end of the spectrum, favouring gruff catchy vocals and wiry warp speed riffing peppered between sludgy mosh sections designed to make sweaty dive bars bounce. ‘Burn Your Flags’ won’t win any prizes for innovation, particularly with its ‘fight the system!’ refrain, but the pit-inducting, full-tilt intensity of its delivery more than makes up for any feelings of pastiche.
‘Better Dayz’ has a chuggy mosh-call section that is pure satisfaction distilled into wounded masculine chants and stink-face inducing sludgy riffs. There’s not a lot to it either musically or structurally, but again the energetic performance is the true selling point and the band definitely holds up this end of the deal throughout.
‘Move Ahead’ caps off E.O.T.’s contribution to the album nicely, adopting a more crossover thrash approach for the bulk of its runtime before bursting into flames with some delightfully violent ramshackle playing at the end that makes you fear for the safety of anyone working at the recording studio.
Perfect Sky are a slightly different proposition. The riffs are slung lower, the aggression is dialled up and the vocals are much more guttural and extreme. Their overall approach is a lot more metallic and I get the feeling they’re a little more tongue in cheek in their performance. Such is the ultra-macho posturing on DGAF that I thought I was listening to a parody band. My boy Oliver on the vocals clearly sounds like he’s having a lot of fun and this translates nicely to the listening experience and I for one an happy to chant “Fool me once – Fuck you forever!” along with him without a hint of shame.
There’s a heavier focus on groove here as well, with ‘Overcome Your Fears’ grinding away like “Roots”-era Sepultura to great effect. This sludgy swing to the guitars is what makes the jaw-droppingly clichéd Hatebreed-on-a-budget vocals of ‘No Pain No Gain’ easier to swallow, and Oliver even chucks in a good old fashioned ‘bleugh!’ for good measure.
The album takes one more subtle yet welcome stylistic shift with ‘It’s My Life’ which sadly isn’t a NYHC take on the Bon Jovi classic. It is, however, a fun if a little clichéd Proto-Punk banger that has the same frantic energy and groove as MC5’s ‘Kick Out The Jams’. Lovely stuff!
Don’t let the score fool you guys, if you love all things Hardcore like I do, this is a great time in less than 30 minutes. There’s next to nothing original from these two Austrian outfits other than the fact that their entire sound sounds like it’s emerged from the East Coast of America, but that’s not really the point. What we have here is a promising start to the careers of two young bands with an admirable affection for the old school, and if their sound doesn’t progress beyond that then it’s not the end of the world. Plus the album title is a cool twist on Depeche Mode’s 1987 classic so they had me by the balls from day one.
‘Global Genocide’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. E.O.T.
02. Burn Your Flags
03. Better Dayz
04. Move Ahead
05. Still The Same
06. DGAF
07. Overcome Your Fears
08. Die for a Lie
09. Global Genocide
10. No Pain No Gain
11. It’s My Life
LINE-UP:
Eyes of Tomorrow:
Dom – Guitars
Adam – Drums
Chris – Bass
Mirko – Vocals
Perfect Sky:
Oliver – Vocals
Christoph – Guitars
Markus – Bass
Roman – Drums
LINKS:
Eyes of Tomorrow:
Perfect Sky:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Rory Bentley and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of [user_login] and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.