Hearing people take an artform, defy the preordained rules, and form it into their own liking can lead to a disaster. Or, said defiance causes an expansion of sounds, a melting of ideas and influences, and a fresh perspective on already existing energies. There are millions of bands that embrace the conventional, and that’s fine, but going the other way is fun too.
Minneapolis black metal force Eudaemon pulverize their chosen base and dash different colors and vicious expression on top of that. Their debut album “Spiritual Anguish” is a rush of all kinds of ideas, and while it’s manic and dizzying at times, it also pushes new buttons and sounds like it originated from a bleeding heart. The band—guitarist/vocalist Andie Landsem, guitarist/vocalist Ella Smith, bassist Meridian Shanewood, drummer Peter Korhonen—bends black metal in different directions. They’re not rewriting history or anything, but they add excitement, raw emotion, and even some softer, more pulled-back moments that help each sound dynamic stab you in the ribs. Also, the record is being handled by two awesome labels, Fiadh Productions and Riff Merchant, whose catalogs are well worth your time.
“Karst” starts mystically and steamy before howls carve, and some speed is injected into the swelling pace. A melodic fury explodes as the guitars open and melt, and then the pace lulls purposely, the storms holding overhead, and then shrieks rip and tear for a manic finish. “Possession Audition” begins with a quote from the 1981 film “Possession,” and from there the piece rips and jangles, the screams paste, and a splattering, crazed pace leaves your eyes rolling in the back of your head. “Empty Hallways” starts with guitars dripping before the pace ignites, storming and gutting, clean singing changing your mindset before the vitriol rampages again. There are moments that feel breezy, even as your head is being ripped off your neck. The bass ripples, and the last moments are burning and buzzing.
“Basalt” has more of a post-rock sheen at it starts, clean singing icing wounds, and then terrifying shrieks opening them back up again. The playing blisters as the screams melt flesh, the guitars cascade like a waterfall over a cliffside, and then things go cold, but only temporarily. The playing trudges back, screams buckle your knees, and the speed rushes through a brick wall. “Silt” feels progressive and active, wild yells sending chills, guitars bubbling before the shrieks rise to the surface. The drums rattle as the band gives off some jazzy flourishes that change the scenery, and glimmering guitars signal a change to the more volcanic, pushing hard over the finish line. Closer “In Mirrors” runs 12:08, and it starts elegantly and dreamily, hearty singing digging into your heart, guitars angling as the shrieks ripple down your spine. The brutality steamrolls as the intensity spikes, screams maim, and the bass flexes its ample muscles. Hypnotic turns tease your mind as melodies rumble, howls punch holes, and a battering, manic display turns the screws, laying waste before melting away.
“Spiritual Anguish” is a record that leaves an indelible mark, scrambling your mind with so many metallic angles coming at you at once, the ability to absorb all of that forcefully challenged. This is emotional tumult that Eudaemon commit to this record, a mind-melting barrage that also teases you with other dashes of influence that scramble what you know about heavy music. This feels like a bloodletting, one to which you can connect to shed your own scars.
For more on the band, go here: https://eudaemon.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://riffmerchant.bandcamp.com/album/spiritual-anguish
Or here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/album/spiritual-anguish
For more on the label, go here: https://riffmerchant.bandcamp.com/
And here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/
Meat Mead Metal 