Eerie Sopor - The Plague That Lingers On The Plains

I never had the chance to check out Eerie Sopor's other releases on Werkstatt Recordings, so my knowledge on the project is limited. However, what I can tell you about them is that they have four releases in total on the label and are filed under goth, EBM, and darkwave music. Their latest EP is titled "The Plague That Lingers On The Plains" which certainly has a gothic flair about it. The mirrored picture of a dead tree in black-and-white format also captures that gothic essence, but it's the music that really matters. While the music on Eerie Sopor's latest EP "The Plague That Lingers On The Plains" ticks some of the right boxes, odd choices with the vocals leaves me wanting more from the EP. 

A thirty-second track titled 'Onward To Darkness' starts off the track, and it's war drums and martial industrial approach had me preparing for war. It was at odds, though not unwelcomed, to the next track that came up. 'Tristful Hearts' is an upbeat EBM track with grungy synths and a wonderful, xylophone sounding beat. All-in-all, it gave me a very nostalgic feeling. However, as soon as the heavily echoed or reverberated vocals came in, all that music was drowned over them. While the vocals are not horrible sounding (they reminded me much of the Sisters of Mercy), the beat was absolutely thrilling. I think that the vocals just needed to be placed better in the mix on this one; but whenever they come into the song I am left disappointed.



The next track has vocal troubles as well. Starting off with an alright synthetic beat, the vocals kick in soon after. I don't know how else to explain the vocals in the intro other than it sounds as if a half-starved man is trying to warn me of a cursed object in the woods before perishing. The good part about the song is that Eerie Sopor got their regular darkwave vocals figured out; they're sung without too much reverb or echo that doesn't drown out the beat. This is what we needed on the track above. 

'Nocturnal Skies' trades in slower beats for a fast-paced EBM stab. However, the vocals come in again at odds with the beat. Rather than picking up the pace to match the energy of the song, Eerie Sopor slows down his voice to a crawl. It also sounds as if his voice has a bit of a lo-fi edge to it. I'm not sure if that was done on purpose or not, but the vocals ruined the song for me. After a couple of spins of the EP, I was left skipping it consistently. 

The final song on the album, 'Where Plague And Tears Blossom', is an experimental track with a drone synth. It sounds like an electrical wire on the fritz as upbeat synths play around it. And, well, it makes for a very interesting listen even if it does sound out of place on the EP. A wobble of synthetic lines come around the one-minute and forty-second mark alongside dips of bass. That completes the EP and sent me on my way out. 

Generally, I find myself sorely disappointed with this EP. Many of the beats found within, especially on that of 'Tristful Hearts', are a blast to listen to. But each time Eerie Sopor does something new or different with his voice, it ruins the balance of the song rather than complementing it. The best we get from Eerie Sopor are his clean vocals on 'Burning Angel', but even that song has the other dreaded chords on it. "The Plague That Lingers On The Plains" then comes down to an EP that is musically well done, but flawed by one too many vocal cracks. It has potential, but can't get to the tip of the iceberg. I give this one a five-and-a-half out of ten. 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page.
Jun 29 2021