The Exploding Eyes Orchestra – I (2015)

Featuring five out of seven members of one of our favorite bands of all time: Jess and the Ancient Ones, Svart records present The Exploding Eyes Orchestra and their enigmatic debut release “I”. Delivering seven brilliant tracks of moody Occult/Pscychedelic Rock/Metal, this new band has a similar energy behind them than JATAO, but with an extra exploratory and nature and a more relaxed and freely defined style.

Opening with the sultry “The Smoke”, the band makes a very quick impression with this trippy schedelic piece masterfully guided by Jess’s talented vocals. Things get jazzier and mellower with the emotional “Crazy Heart”. This track flows perfectly with very subtle guitars and a relaxing tempo. The fuzzy guitar leads are excellent and perfectly set you in a very hypnotic mood.

Blasting out the psychedelic elements, “My Father The Wolf” is another wonderful track that is nicely aided by playful atmospheric elements and a very quirky tempo. The album sort of peaks with the two ‘heaviest’ songs in this release: “Drawing Down the West” and “Two-Zero 13”. These two songs feature a throbbing bass guitar line, very straightforward drumming that keeps things nicely accessible, and again, Jess’s vocals work wonders with such intense pieces.

Taking a breather with the atmospheric and experimental piece “Black  Hound”, we get to nicely transition to the closing “Farewell to All-in-One”. The last piece is very different from the first one as it explores more atmospheric and passive musical spaces thanks to very well-spaced instrumental contributions and very melancholic lyrics. Led by Thomas Corpse and Jess, this side project has a very unique vibe that while different than JATAO, it should easily appeal to all their fans.

Overall, “I” is a great look into the creative minds of members of JATAO and stands alone as a very promising and engaging band. If you like any type of Psychedelic/Occult Rock/Metal or bands like Jex Thoth and Sabbath Assembly, you definitely do not want to miss out on this release. As the first part of a two-part release, we are already about the next one.

Label: Svart Records

Release: June 12th, 2015

Genre: Psychedelic/Occult Rock/Metal

Country: Finland