Eidolon - The Parallel Otherworld
- Released: 2006
- Label: Escapi Music
- Rating:
It seems that my fellow Canadian countrymen Eidolon have come a long way since their humble beginnings. A completely unheard of thrash metal band, Eidolon fought to get to the top of the metal spectrum, but never really made it. However, anyone familiar with Megadeth should be familiar with the Drover brothers, who have spent some time backing Dave Mustaine. I thought their previous album, Apostles Of Defiance, was a great slab of thrashy goodness. I took on this album hoping for another serving of thrashy goodness, what I got was something that no one should ever have to experience.
It seems Eidolon have had a massive change in sound. They are no longer the thrash band I used to know. They have evolved into something so dark, so foul, that it would make even Satan himself vomit in terror. These evils that I speak of are not for the faint of heart, nor for the virgin ears of the innocent. They have become…a spacey-prog band. But not just any spacey prog band; Eidolon plays a certain sub-genre of metal that I personally have dubbed “Portal Metal.” It’s a type of metal that incorporates swirly riffs, multi-layered vocals, and a shitload of sounds to give the feeling that you are travelling through a portal. If done correctly, this “Portal Metal” can be an atmospheric ride. If done poorly, it can turn out like The Parallel Otherworld.
A lot of people are comparing The Parallel Otherworld to the works of Nevermore or Biomechanical. I don’t know where the fuck they get these comparisons. This album isn’t even worthy enough to get spat on by This Godless Endeavor or Empires Of The World. Allow me to elaborate…
The thing that pissed me off the most on this album is the vocals. It seems that Eidolon have acquired the help and voice of Pagan’s Mind vocalist Nils K. Rue. All I can say is fuck you Nils! I know it was you that persuaded the band to change their sound into a cheap Pagan’s Mind knock-off. The vocals are terrible at best. I’m a man that likes multi-layered vocals. I find they add a lot of dynamics to an album, but when multi-layered vocals are used nearly every second, on every track on the album, my ears get sore. It’s true, on every single track and for nearly it’s entire length, there’s at least three different vocal effects going on. It’s a problem when Nils’ voice is overshadowed by, of all things, Nils’ voice. There’s always a low vocal effect that’s clashed by a high-effect that’s being contrasted by a mid-effect…you get the point. It’s so tedious I think it gave me cancer! The effect is overused and I found myself incredibly annoyed by it. That and I find Nils’ voice to be the vocal equivalent of nails scrapping across a chalk-board…one of those over-the-top high-pitched voices.
This album is 70 minutes long…70 goddamn minutes. The first track alone is over 11 minutes. Obviously, the saying “more is less, less is more” doesn’t apply to them. I have read reviews that have praised this album with 9/10 but even they admit that this album cannot be listened to in one sitting. I don’t like the idea of listening to 3 tracks one day, 2 tracks the next, and then finishing the rest of the album whenever. What’s the point of listening to an album if you can’t fully immerse yourself in the music?
Every single track sounds exactly the same. There are barely any memorable moments to be found on the album except the chorus from “Arcturus 9,” which I find to be the only decent song on the album. The album can pretty much be summed up as blatant Pagan’s Mind masturbation, as this sounds exactly like everything they’ve ever done (just with a bit more balls in the riffing).
Speaking of riffing, this is the only redeeming factor of this album. The riffs and solos are top-notch. They even bring in a few guest guitarists, such as Micheal Romeo and Chris Caffery, but I see this as only a gimmick to make this album seem more special than it really is. The drumming is awesome as well, but it’s usually drowned out by the album’s unusually heavy production.
Basically, the songs lack any form of excitement and are far from innovative. If you listen to The Parallel Otherworld strictly for the guitar and drum work it proves to be a somewhat satisfying, if not exhausting, experience. If you listen to The Parallel Otherworld as a whole, it can be a very trying ordeal.
Brent C. | 07/03/2006