Artiste: Exes For Eyes
Nationality: American?
Album: Tongues Like Figure Eights
Year: 2015
Label: None; Digital release through their website (for a dollar!)
Genre: Thrash/Death Metal?
Chronological position: Second album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting factoid: You wouldn't think there were two bands with this name, and in essence there aren't, but I thought this was the Irish band Little Xs for Eyes, and they had just changed their name. It's not and they haven't. There is however very little information, even from their website, on the band, with the result that I am just assuming they come from America.
Tracks:
1. Tongues like figure eights: Starts deceptively relaxed but then bursts into what is I guess a death metal or thrash vein, growly voice, hammering guitars, good melodies though. Certainly rocks.
2. Done for good: Meh, bit slower but I really didn't notice the transition from one to the other, and that's seldom good. Bit grindier than the opener, but essentially sounds pretty much the same to me. Aggressive, angry, loud and powerful. Batty would probably love this.
3. I will stand my ground: Another roared vocal, bit all over the place, but then it settles down for the midsection with a really nice softer guitar and a far gentler vocal. It won't of course stay that way, but it's nice while it does.
4. Collision: Nice sort of vocal chorus with some really biting guitar. Different, anyway.
5. Bleed the stone: Nice jangly guitar start, then it kicks into another headbanger. I'm getting more used to the vocal now. It's not too bad.
6. A strange man: Sort of a boogie feel to this, hops along nicely. An almost melodic/progressive metal guitar at times. Far too long though at six minutes plus. Nice staggered riff at the end.
7. Remember Savannah: This definitely sounds like it has some keyboards in it, and again there's a real progressive metal tone to it. Do they have keys? I don't know; as I say, information is sketchy at best. Okay, from what I can see, they don't, yet those definitely sound like keys. Maybe there's a guest performer? Best track yet, although really that's not saying a lot, is it? I'm actually gonna Green this one, first one on the album I've felt deserves it.
8. Parade of one: All right, that is definitely piano. No question about it. Kind of murder it a few seconds later though with a total thrashfest which could end up getting this a Red if it doesn't do anything else over its run. Ok, it actually has a good hook and the vocal is pretty expressive, those prog metal overtones in evidence again. I can give this a Green, though it annoys me what they did to that poor piano!
9. Shot in the dark: This is pretty good, with a sense of creeping menace in the guitar and in the at times kind of hissed vocal. Good bit of shredding there in the last minute or so.
10. My life vs your vacation: Actually sounds a lot like mid-eighties Maiden; hammers along with great energy and enthusiasm, though what the hell it's about I have no idea.
11. Closure...: I'm not going to suggest this is a ballad, but it does start on really nice reflective guitar that for the moment hasn't been blown away by a harder one. And it isn't. This is actually quite beautiful and totally unexpected. An instrumental that's low-key, soft and relaxing, and remains that way to the end.
Comments: Although this album started really badly for me but improved as it went on, and made a very presentable showing at the end, I still feel it's nothing special. It's probably categorised as thrash metal, and in that vein it's pretty ordinary: I don't see these guys standing out from the crowd as they need to do if they're to make it (which I assume they haven't as I had to search a lot to find them). It's not an album I'm sorry I listened to, but equally I could have lived without it, which is a pity, as they seem to be nice guys dedicated to their music, very honest and down to earth. But it takes more than that, unfortunately.
