HOWLS OF EBB — Vigils of the 3rd Eye (review)

HOWLS OF EBB — Vigils of the 3rd Eye album cover Album · 2014 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Vigils of the 3rd Eye" is the debut full-length studio album by US, San Francisco, California based death metal act Howls of Ebb. The album was released through I, Voidhanger Records in February 2014. Howls of Ebb was formed in 2012 and on this album consists of such exotic sounding musician names as Benign Blight on bass, Rotten Bliss on drums, and zEleFthANd on vocals and guitars. In other words a classic trio formation.

Stylistically the music on "Vigils of the 3rd Eye" is an old school type of death metal with experimental/progressive leanings. It´s dark and filthy, featuring an occult sci-fi atmosphere, and a generally twisted and adventurous songwriting approach. At various points during the playing time I´m reminded of artists like Cadaver, Carbonized, Autopsy, Voivod, and early death metal era-Darkthrone. But it´s especially the Norwegians in Diskord I´m thinking about when listening to "Vigils of the 3rd Eye".

As mentioned above the atmosphere of the album reeks dark oddness. A feeling which is further enhanced by songtitles like "Martian Terrors, Limbonic Steps", "Opulent Ghouls... Blessed Be Thy End", and "Illucid Illuminati of the Dark". So this is definitely not your everyday old school death metal album. Nor is it one of those flashy and cleanly produced technical/progressive death metal albums by artists like Obscura and their ilk.

The 9 tracks on the 47:55 minutes long album takes you on a gloomy journey through a nightmarish soundscape of deep growling yet aggressive toned vocals, loose organic drumming, and organic toned guitars and bass. The band varies pace quite often, and you´ll be exposed to both doomy, mid-paced, and blasting sections. In addition to that the music is often quite atmospheric too. I initially thought the band used low in the mix keyboards to enhance the atmosphere, but after listening a bit more closely I think it´s the guitar which plays those parts. All tracks on the album are very well composed and quite intriguing and it´s obvious that the three guys in the band are both skilled on their instruments and clever composers.

Howls of Ebb has opted for an organic, dark, and far from typical sounding death metal production for "Vigils of the 3rd Eye". The sound suits the music perfectly, and is another great asset to the album. So upon conclusion "Vigils of the 3rd Eye" is a great debut album by Howls of Ebb. While it´s undeniably old school in sound and execution, it´s still quite innovative/progressive and the combination of the raw and simple with the more technical and sophisticated works wonders here, creating an almost perfect balance. A 4.5 star (90%) rating is well deserved.
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