A self-titled EP from 2010, their debut album, “Monotoneoteny” released this year in May and a remix album, “Tone Debris”, released this month, all three for free, can grab them from the band’s Bandcamp Page. Their music is a sick blending of Nine Inch Nails with sludge metal, some twisted modern psychedelia and criminal, pitched, black metal growling. Pretty rough mixture in deed, but definitively creative and quite original. So, these guys from Toronto have no connection with Billy Idol, but eventually with the 1960s film of Georges Franju, “Les yeux sans visage”. Definitively “must have” category and not only because it’s free, but they are brilliant.
The band was formed by Mike, Tuka and Max in 2009, in Toronto/Scarborough, Canada, from the ashes of several other bands with the intention of doing our own thing and incorporating the full spectrum of our tastes and interests into a cohesive whole. Some of their influences are: Godflesh, Helmet, Nine Inch Nails, Swans, My Bloody Valentine, Kiss It Goodbye, Slowdive, Man is the Bastard, The Roots, Coil, Anathema, Wu-Tang Clan, Will Haven, etc.
After the intro with “Dead Air”, the album kick out contorted and extremely brutally with “Forth Like Bile”, an almost near death (metal) experience. Compromiseless and murderous, Eyeswithoutaface takes no prisoners. “Leave Us” reminds me of Ministry and Alex Newport (Fudge Tunnel) and Max Cavalera’s (Sepultura, Soulfly) Nailbomb, it’s a dirty and noisy mixture of metal and industrial with cutting edges and twisted shapes of sounds. Grinding slower, but harder, Eyeswithoutaface delivered “Ripples In The Blotter” entering a more experimental area of music, but staying brutal and noisier. “Splinter The Earth, Shatter The Sky” have some Fear Factory reminiscences, an excellent groove and some killer shifts from spacier and slower moments to fast and furious metal grindings with perfect combinations of synths and guitars. The over six minutes of “The Scrying Game” take us deeper in the experimental area of industrial metal, it has a hypnotic groove and the cinematic, abstract tripping are smashed up by some intense breakdowns. Have some Nine Inch Nails after-taste, but Eyeswithoutaface definitively managed to take the music in their own way. “Steadfastrology” glowing slow, it’s sounds like a collision between Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, ultimately a kind of further electro sludge – for those who can not enjoy the music without label it. The song includes also a spacy, beautiful electro passage with space rock and psychedelic after-taste, nice developing of the music. “Riddled With Tarots” bring back some distortions and contorted noises, pounding drums and shattered human voice, slow and experimental parts are balanced by explosive grindings and pulsing electro layers. It’s a quite sick construction, but absolutely exciting. “Swings Attached” accelerate once again and the spirit of Nine Inch Nails returning pumping into it, only Eyeswithoutaface get much further with brutality, some death metal roots are get to the surface again and melt perfectly into the industrial construction. Madness and metal collides and will blow your head off. “Breathless Prayer” closing smoother the album with an almost cinematic, glowing in the dark trip.
The 11 tracks of “Tone Debris” take further the experiment, don’t expect some club oriented, fancy dubstep remix album, but an experimental and electrifying trip into the noisy dark side. A hell of a trip, but definitively worth to take it!
But I won’t spoil the surprise, enjoy it!
Eyeswithoutaface @ Bandcamp
Eyeswithoutaface @ MySpace
Eyeswithoutaface @ Facebook
Contact: [email protected]
