Echoes of Yul - Tether

What a pleasant surprise, Echoes of Yul are back and this time with the material which is worth of 75 minutes running time! Got acquainted with the band accidentally around a year ago, I put my eye on it because of the highest level of musical creativity and an advance approach towards experimentation with different genres. Exploring mostly guitar driven soundscapes, those Poland based resident didn't stop on just jerking out some heavy riffs trying to look alike well know formations, but showed his own unique face through breaking boundaries, establishing their own sound. With this new release wrapped into the name "Tether", he brings a kind of a long EP with four original new tracks and a set of remixes from the recognizable names on electronic experimental scene which contribute from their vision of how the music of EOY could sound if some different techniques had been used to operate with their themes.

Though releasing the previous full album on Avantgarde records enabled a communication with a wider auditory, I felt that the material didn't fit exactly into the format of metal oriented label even presenting guitar based music. The new EP sees the light on Zoharum, the label which is more suitable for the content of their creative power, maybe even paying the price of less CD sales. Anyhow, this talented guy continues to explore the fusion of many genres, from drone ambient towards post, psychedelic and progressive rock and many others.

The album starts with "Rosids" which flows smoothly into "Guess" forming one long track that captures every possible corners of my imagination with images of cloudy and mysterious mood. EOY presents everything that I loved so much from their previous CD - ultra heavy slow guitar, light atmosphere and a dense structure of different effects. The third original track "Murder the Future" brings a whole specter of delights with the massiveness and density of slowly moving drones similar to classics of good old Troum. A really monumental approach, I enjoyed each and every second of that track that kept me hypnotized, torn out of time and space continuum.

With entering the section of remixes, the guitars started to play a less significant role being more rhythm dictating than atmosphere organizing factor. And this is not a surprise; don't forget that we are talking here about the remixes of electronics oriented artists rather than metal droning fellas. "The Stand (James Plotkin remix)" is a great example of such a shift where a highly atmospheric background moves forward guided by a slight touch of a heavy guitar.

"The Mission (The Message Iconaclass remix)" hits with a kind of a cold shower in the middle of a strong meditative mood. Though I am aware of the extremely deep social background of rap and its basic protest form, I remain the hostage of my prejudgment towards this style and its image that was created by mass media and entertainment industry. Even when continuing the same rhythm of previous tracks, this one just kicks me out with its total disconnection from the form of slowly moving drones. Sorry mates, but I was left completely confused, it didn't work at least for me, maybe somebody will find a hidden message in that move.

Steve Austin's remix of "Cold Ground" returns our guys on track and form of industrial oriented experiments keeping me alive with waves of hypnosis. While being a transformation of original tracks, the melody and spirit was kept untouched in most of the compositions and they remain recognizable without too much effort. "Last" and "The Tenant" are redesigned to be much lighter and slower than the originals, setting a slightly different standard of mood and sensual experience. "Down Deal Load (Different State Deconstruction)" finishes the set of remixes with a sonic and airy structure which reminds a little bit of the ambient pieces from The Young Gods. Meantime, the short, pure electronic ambient track "Ecclesiastes" ends up the long story with a quiet atmosphere full of relaxation, but also with a soft touch of mystery.

I feel that it is obvious that "Tether" has a clear message: nobody stays indifferent and untouched. Despite some mismatches with a rap oriented track, all the rest show a solid rock of a true atmospheric music that knows no limitations or genre constrains. Special props go to the band for the track "Murder the Future" that succeed in erasing my personality and rebuilding it with a visions of this murdered future together with a lot of pleasure from the process. Though I am not the biggest fan of albums based on remixes, this one definitely has it's own face and shows a really diverse material. In my opinion, this EP is the "must have" for all the fans of non-conformist and open-minded approach towards the music creation process. Mar 05 2014