Album & EP Reviews

Eave – Fervor

Eave – Fervor
Bindrune Recordings
Release Date: 28/07/23
Running Time: 38:01 
Review by Oli Gonzalez
7/10

Eave are a four piece atmospheric metal band based in Connecticut, USA. The atmospheric part got my attention! For me, this is one of the more divisive sub genres on the spectrum of metal. Some just can’t buy into it. I personally adore the creativity this genre has to offer and all the experimental elements. Rather than causing violent circle pits, bands of this style are the kind you can sit back, relax and simply admire from a safe distance. 

The band – signed to Bindrune Recordings – promised “energy and venom amidst passages of ethereal and shadowed melodies” on this, their second release. This got me salivating like Pavlov’s dog! I couldn’t wait to get into it.

The album opens with ‘Past Pulses’. A rather low-end heavy, ominous opening riff, followed by a blistering blastbeat and a crushing wall of sound played at blistering speed. This was accompanied by Brian’s tortured shriek of a vocal attack! Less than a minute into the album, they’re delivering both the venom and melodies they promised, and switch seamlessly between the two. I’m satisfied. I can also hear the use of acoustic guitars/other string instruments later in the song. This gives a much calmer texture, providing avant-garde shades of Agalloch and even Opeth, with a darkened experimental feel. It’s clear that the band aren’t afraid to mix up tempo and texture within their compositions, which keeps me, the listener, on my toes. Bravo. 

We can hear evidence of doom and stoner style riffs in ‘Chance is a Spectre’ and ‘Mirroring’, particularly with the thicker bass laded tones in the former. I think this would be epic to hear live! The kind that would make your very skeleton shake under the rumble of the low end. 

The melodic portions of the album I feel are most prominent in ‘Stale Ash’. I particularly admire the work of the lead guitars, especially the glassy black metal style tremolo picked riffs you’d hear from the likes of Nargaroth. Soothing, calm, almost like a child’s nursery rhyme, played over the sheer chaos and pace of the rest of the band. This is my favourite song of the album up until now! 

Vocally, I did think that Brian was too one dimensional at first. However, upon a second listen, I realised how wrong I was. He mixes his high and low-end growls with seemingly little effort, providing versatility. I do wonder if some more gentle sung vocals would be possible, in the same vein as other progressive metal bands (Enslaved, Opeth etc). This would provide another dimension to the band and add an extra ethereal quality. 

Both ‘Shards’ and ‘Bending The Light’ demonstrate a jazz-like influence in the band, especially with the bass heavy grooves being the most salient features in these songs. Another tool in the band’s ever growing box of metal tricks!

This is an album that delivers what it promised. Production wise, this is definitely an evolution from their previous release. However, I do wonder if the guitars sound thin at times and the production feels too raw. That proverbial ‘something’ is missing to take this from a good album to a very good album. I spoke about the band’s variety in their composition too. While it is admirable, I do wonder if they’re throwing too many ingredients into the pot, instead of focussing on a few elements that work for them and that can provide the band’s identity. It almost has a scattergun approach to composition at times. For example, some of the guitar work in ‘Stale Ash’ is phenomenal. The sheer speed and frantic energy the band can summon really is a thing of beauty. If they could focus on these two elements in their next release, for instance, that would help build the aforementioned band identity, and help to set them apart. Because they sure have the potential to do that.

Overall, sometimes you buy a pair of trainers which don’t quite fit at first, but if you give them some time you’ll learn to love them. Eave are more of a slowburn sort of band, and while they may take some getting used to, the patience and effort is certainly worth it.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Past Pulses
02. Chance is a Spectre
03. Mirroring
04. Stale Ash
05. Bending The Light
06. Shards
07. Into Perdition 

LINE-UP:
Brian Tenison – vocalist/bassist
Ian Shooshan-Stoller – Guitar
Gabriel Shara – Guitar
Caleb Porter – Drums

LINKS:

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