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Angel Eyes

...And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars.
2007
Underground Communiqué

Angel Eyes - ...And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars. (Cover Artwork)


Review by: Anchors
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Published on August 7th 2007

The best albums are often the albums that come out of nowhere.

Everyone that invests a lot of time into listening to music knows the joy of hearing a band for the very first time and having them just completely blow you away. Angel Eyes did that for me on their epic 2005 effort Something to Do with Death. It was powerful, gorgeous, and ferocious all at once, with subtleties just as profound as the cataclysmic sound they created at their peak.

For those not fortunate enough to be surprised and blown away when that record came out, the band has a new EP, ...And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars. that has the power to accompish just the same.

It's the tension that Angel Eyes create even with minimal means that resonates the loudest. They're able to perfectly toe the thinnest of proverbial high-wires between subtle ambience and ferocious explosions. The eerie calm of the band in their reserved moments is never a feeling of safety; there's always a catostrophic turn not far down the road. And even in those moments, even in the moments where Angel Eyes' singer is shredding his vocal chords in two, there's is a sense of calm. The demure and the destructive are binded by a rhythm that never lets go.

The minimal means mentioned earlier are clearly expressed on the first of the EP's two tracks; after being ushered in by some foreboding feedback, the slow, melodic rhythm is guided along by the rising and falling drum fills, the combination of which is brooding and dramatic, as if something startling is coming along at any second. And something does -- the searing vocals of the Angel Eyes frontman tumultuouosly enter the fray. The dynamics are heightened to a frenzied pitch and before you know it, that brooding rhythm has returned. Dark and powerful, it keeps you on your toes as the crescendo increases in volume until the breaking point is reached, and it all subsides. It sounds like a simple formula, one that post-rock bands and Isis clones alike have been using for a while now, but Angel Eyes set themslves apart with how masterfully they craft every part of a song. The dark overtones during the first tracks buildup are chill-inducing, it's the mastery of setting a mood.

Angel Eyes have set the pieces perfectly in place: from the incredibly intense vocals that perfectly accent the rhythms that set them, to the brooding tones that give off such vivid imagery you'd think the band was telling you word-for-word what to see.

And I do see, I see it clear as day, I see the band and I see the world at their feet.



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    Posted by SilentStorms on 2007-08-15 12:01:43
    My Score:

    To Anchors:

    Trueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 12, 2007 at 4:58 PM (EDT)

    won't be getting this but really nice to see anchors reviewing again - always an interesting read

    Posted by Anchors on 2007-08-09 20:39:26

    Hahaha, I just haven't reviewed a lot in general this year.

    I have some stuff coming up though that I think you'll definitely be into.

    Posted by SilentStorms on 2007-08-09 18:41:16
    My Score:

    Alright Anchors! Looks like you're reviewing stuff I like again. Thank god as you introduced me to a lot of great stuff, but then last year happened. All is forgotten. All hail Anchors and Brian!

    Oh and this sounds pretty sweet, buying ... now.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 9, 2007 at 6:13 PM (EDT)

    27 minutes for 2 songs? jesus. the world is not at these guys feet cos alot of people are never going to buy into that

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 9, 2007 at 6:07 PM (EDT)

    @elephantdwarf:
    Most of those can describe any number of music genres or bands, even "Isis clones" which seems to cover any metal band that plays a little on the slow side these days.

    @JustinUCR:
    The review shouldn't make sense after you hear the album since the review is what's supposed to tell me whether or not I should give it a listen in the first place.

    This wasn't a horribly written review or anything, but it was a little more vague than I would like. Most of the bands reviewed on Punknews are going to be largely unknown, so a frame of reference is important.

    Posted by JustinUCR on 2007-08-08 22:04:38

    also... http://interpunk.com/item.cfm?Item=68237&

    Posted by JustinUCR on 2007-08-08 22:02:49

    thanks Jordan! I think the review makes sense after you've heard the record...

    Posted by elephantdwarf on 2007-08-08 15:19:46

    epic, powerful, gorgeous, ferocious all at once, tension, subtle ambience and ferocious explosions, eerie calm, reserved moments, catostrophic turn, shredding his vocal chords in two, sense of calm. demure, destructive, rhythm that never lets go, foreboding feedback, slow, melodic rhythm, rising and falling drum fills, brooding and dramatic, searing vocals,frenzied pitch, brooding rhythm, Dark and powerful, Isis clones, dark overtones, incredibly intense vocals, brooding tones.

    i took all the words from the review describing the sound of the record. did you guys not read it?

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 8, 2007 at 12:33 PM (EDT)

    i find it a bit irritating and pretentious when a reviewer doesn't describe an album's sound, but in fairness to anchors, it isn't very hard to click on the fucking myspace link.

    unless your at work. but good point nontheless

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 8, 2007 at 11:46 AM (EDT)

    The dude who runs this label punched matt skiba once

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 8, 2007 at 6:26 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    www.vanfuckingcleef.com

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 8, 2007 at 3:41 AM (EDT)

    cult of luna and mouth of the architect also come to mind. and i'm saying this since i own angel eye's first album. but it's just my opinion on the matter. but on another note any band named after a character lee van cleef played is going to be fucking badass no matter what.

    Posted by elephantdwarf on 2007-08-08 01:32:18

    ummm... i totally read an entire paragraph at least about the album's sound.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 7, 2007 at 8:17 PM (EDT)

    i find it a bit irritating and pretentious when a reviewer doesn't describe an album's sound, but in fairness to anchors, it isn't very hard to click on the fucking myspace link.

    Posted by elephantdwarf on 2007-08-07 15:57:57

    buried inside is amazing. im really looking forward to a new album. good dudes too.

    Posted by Anchors on 2007-08-07 14:22:26

    If I compare bands to other bands, I get bitched at about not being able to write without comparison, and if write without comparisons I get asked why I didn't make any.

    Honestly though, there's no current bands like this. Buried Inside would be the closest contemporary, but as I've said, the vocals here account for maybe 25-30% of the music.

    Just buy this album, and buy their last one, if you like heavy music at all you could not possibly be disappointed.

    Posted by PizzaClaus on 2007-08-07 13:58:09

    *with a dash

    Posted by PizzaClaus on 2007-08-07 13:57:50

    Neur-Isis-core with dash of his hero is gone.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 7, 2007 at 11:14 AM (EDT)

    Yeah, it's good to know that you enjoyed it and all, but if I've never heard of these guys a frame of reference would be nice.

    Posted by Rastid on 2007-08-07 08:14:25

    can you give me some idea what this sounds like....? genre or band comparison or something?

    Posted by Anchors on 2007-08-07 00:25:34

    No, it's not screamo. There's screamy vocals, but they're a lot more thick and powerful than any vocalist in the screamo genre is known for and they're used a lot more sparingly.

    Posted by feeeding5000 on 2007-08-07 00:06:39

    Screamo? Because if it's screamo, just call it that. I refuse to buy anything called, "post-rock", yet I am very susceptible to screamo.

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