2009
08.23
08.23
Format: CD
Release Date: 13.03.2009
Country: Unknown
Genre: Epic Funeral Doom
This brand-new work of the mysterious Ea continuous to suck the listener in a unique atmosphere, creating epic music based on Funeral Doom in a style of Shape Of Despair and Monolithe with noticeable classical influences. Acoustic parts, melodical solo’s and ambient pieces with increasing sounds of an organ are being used again. While collecting great reviews from the listeners and critics all over the world, the band is ready to invite new listeners, those who are ready to touch the mystery of faded times.
Tracklist:
1. Untitled
2. Untitled
Review
Cryptic Madness
6/6
L’entité qui se cache sous l’identité de Ea cultive le secret. De ses membres, on ne sait rien, tout juste nous est il permis d’apprendre que les paroles et le concept artistique/spirituel/esthétique qu’elles relaient sont l’expression occulte de l’héritage non moins obscur d’anciennes civilisations oubliées.
Etonnamment, Magiquement, ce substrat primitif se perçoit distinctement dans le Funeral Doom sombre et délicat que développe Ea.
Le groupe joue sur des gammes bien connues de l’amateur : les riffs titanesques s’abattent comme des masses, la réverbération grumeleuse étire les notes qui meurent lentement et se dissolvent dans un flot mélodique indistinct. Les growls sont caverneux, le clavier-orgue, religieux, mystique, tisse un voile soyeux. Mais il y a aussi des nœuds dans les fils légers, des suites de notes rapides, qui ponctuent la soie noire.
Puis, des chuchotements, le murmure d’un passé lointain, des effluves d’ailleurs ; échos de la mémoire universelle, trépidation impatiente. Ahanements de la basse, brise stellaire de la lead guitar, piano crépusculaire.
C’est une élégie cosmique qu’écrit Ea, son Funeral Doom est le produit d’un songwriting étonnant de précision, il est fait de passages rythmiques variés qui s’articulent harmonieusement. Il donne aussi a entendre des passages ambient saisissant de pertinence, autant de portes vers un univers mystérieux, primordial : ce sont des vrombissements sourds, de légères gouttes d’eau troublant le repos des eaux mortes d’un lac souterrain, puis des sonorités apaisées, de subtiles brumes spectrales qu’on imagine courant à la surface d’un fleuve d’Amérique Latine, au cœur de l’impénétrable forêt vierge. C’est la silhouette d’Aguirre dans le film de Werner Herzog qui me vient immanquablement en tête à ces moments : Aguirre sur son radeau à la dérive sur l’Amazone ; il est seul sur le frêle esquif et songe au destin, à la mort évidemment.
Ea retranscrit ces errances confuses, métaphysiques avec un talent de composition extraordinairement subtil, pointilleux. Sa musique est un frôlement presqu’amical ; au terme d’un passage au piano, des arpèges simples à la guitare acoustique ouvre un nouveau tableau, le tonnerre éclate et déverse des trombes de distorsion, la voix gronde ses imprécations inintelligibles, râle un sermon obscur. Et c’est délicieux. Un Sanctuaire intime. Ea délivre un Funeral Doom dynamique, délié, riche de mille détails qui échappe au piège de l’inertie dans lequel -parfois à dessein, parfois par faute de talent- tombent beaucoup de projets de ses pairs.
Ces chants du monde se développent avec grandeur et sérénité, l’orage précède l’accalmie, la colère cède à la méditation , les plages ambient renouvellent les accords tristes au piano, les fracas telluriques de la batterie étouffent les chœurs solennels.
2 longs morceaux, deux scènes grandioses, un album qui fait date.
Author: baphomet
Review
My Last Chapter
9/10
01.08.2009
The second Ea album is upon us, the second output of doom metal based on ancient sacral texts of dead languages (of which no info is enclosed this time either). I most certainly enjoyed the Ea taesse, but where that album carried a slight drone-esque feeling Ea II travels to more epic landscapes. The ambient sections still haunt the sound, and as the opening track begins the ambience that is the intro keeps getting elements added to it, until it suddenly erupts into full on funeral doom. Ea cleverly uses this build up in instruments, where elements are constantly added; increasing power of the atmosphere, be it beautiful piano lines, a haunting organ section or just a guitar riff oozing of melancholy.
The slow pounding drumming accompanied by the heavy, angst-ridden riffage (which really contains all the elements that makes funeral doom so misanthropic) builds up a great saddened aura surrounding the music. You can sense the personal torment, of an individual on the edge of ending his/her miserable life, come through the music. And with the organ added it takes on an even more bombastic edge, and it feels almost like a twisted church mass. As the slowly growled, tortured vocals sets in the atmosphere is incredibly stark. This is right up there with the best of them; Worship, Mournful Congregation, Thergothon and whatnot. But Ea has some aspects that reminds me a bit of Shape of Despair as well, in particular the more melodic elements.
And just as you think you know their sound of heavy-as-hell funeral doom metal the song breaks down into sounds of dripping water and a subtle keyboard. It’s so incredibly haunting, and for a brief moment you can hear a heartbeat come through the ambience. And as the funeral doom comes back there’s an acoustic guitar lurking somewhere in the background, whereas incredibly melancholic guitar lines has firmly set itself in the foreground. It really is a masterful couple of tracks with such variation, so saddened and oppressing. I usually despise music with too much ambience, and grow bored with it. But what Ea does is slickly mix it in with the doom, so it’s never really pure ambient noise, but just a daunting aspect of the already nuanced funeral doom metal. I’d strongly recommend this to any fan of the genre as long as you don’t care about lyrics and members involved (the two tracks don’t even have titles).
Review
The Metal Observer
9/10
21.08.2009
EA are the sort of dark and ever so Metal band that really take the kvlt factor and up it to about a hundred percent in their image. This is a band that are so mysterious they don’t even have a proper website about themselves, we have no idea how many band members are involved in this simply gargantuan release, never mind what any of them would be called; even the band’s name, cryptically christened EA, bears no real meaning, much like the album title and the tracks that it contains. So with all this, EA basically leave the music to do all (and I mean, all) the talking, and does it manage it?
You’re damn right it does. Contained within “II” are forty-seven minutes of despairingly dark and emotional Funeral Doom Metal that never once lets off the atmosphere. It’s a bleak, ancient feel that swallows you whole before you’ve even realised. Even though it’s only two tracks (both being untitled and over twenty minutes long) the choking ambience that surrounds the album constantly engages the listener, and even through its quietest moments the music simply seeps into your subconsciousness, inexplicably drowning every good emotion into a backdrop of black. Without a doubt, EA is one of the best modern examples of truly atmospheric Doom Metal I’ve heard in a long time.
A variety of instruments including organs, piano’s, synths, guitars -acoustic and electric- and deep guttural growling (which can hardly be called vocals as they are mixed so low and really just help pile on top of the atmosphere) are used to further increase the density of the already impenetrable atmosphere, building upon layers and layers of different sonic elements to portray a sense of dread and despair. Intense, almost melodic guitar leads often lead the way through several layers of ambience created by epic synths and beautiful keyboard lines, while other times it’s all pure ambience as the percussion come to a stop, and nothing remains but the dull lull of the keyboards and synths (often permeated by the presence of a more sinister quality, such as the subdued sound of a heartbeat slowing to a stop, or the simple drip drop of water in the background, all adding to the cinematic quality of the music) before eventually erupting back into the stride of the full on Doom Metal.
For a release that doesn’t really vary it’s pace or dynamics all that much (at least not beyond the ambience – Doom Metal – ambience, formula) “II” is constantly engaging and feels surprisingly fresh throughout it’s entire running time. It has a cinematic and bombastic feel despite being despairingly bleak and endlessly dark. For a band who seem to want to refuse acknowledgement for this release, EA have created a near masterpiece within Funeral Doom Metal. “II” is an album that simply drowns the listener in a ridiculously sombre and dense atmosphere, it’s almost torture in it’s bleakest form to listen to, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Author: Raven
http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=16570
Review
Metalglory
9/10
27.08.2009
Die amerikanischen Funeral Doomer Ea werden von Mythen und Mysterien umrankt. Zum einen findet man nirgendwo weitreichende Hinweise auf z.B. die Besetzung des Projektes, zum anderen sind die Texte laut Booklet in einer unbekannten, von Archäologen rekonstruierten toten Sprachen verfasst. Mehr Infos sind simpel Fehlanzeige. Fakt ist allerdings, das nach dem 2006 veröffentlichten Album ’Ea Taesse’ nun mit Ea II das nächste Album folgt. Das enthält diesmal lediglich Zwei Songs – simpel ’I’ & ’II’ betitelt – mit 47 Minuten Spielzeit. Die spartanisch anmutende Ea’sche Informationspolitik schlägt sich glücklicherweise nicht in der Musik nieder
.
Hier regiert absolut genial zelebrierter Funeral Doom! – Tiefdunkel schleppen sich Bass und Schlagzeug im Zeitlupentempo voran. Umwoben von Keyboardteppichen, Streichern und Kirchenorgel kreieren sie ein apokalyptisches Funeral Doom Monstrum, das gefühlt alles Positive in sich verschlingt. Dunkel und bedrohlich bricht Ea II über den Hörer herein, einzig die Lead-Gitarre mit ihren schönen Melodien und hellen Klangfarben versprüht Hoffnung auf einen Weg aus dieser Dunkelheit. Aber spätestens wenn sich die tiefen, beschwörend gegrowlten Vocals zur Musik gesellen, wird man von einer einzigartigen mythischen Dunkelsphäre umfangen die einen unweigerlich fesselt.
Die häufig im Funeral Doom anzutreffende Monotonie ist dabei aber glücklicherweise Fehlanzeige. Ea haben ein unglaublich gutes Gefühl dafür, ihre überlangen Kompositionen abwechslungsreich aber nie überladen zu gestalten. Das schaffen nur ganz wenige ihrer Genrekollegen in dieser Perfektion. Der sehr durchdachte Songaufbau mit dem beständigen Wechsel Bedächtiger Klangpassagen, wuchtigen Drum & Bass Passagen und sakralen Kirchenorgeln weiß einfach durchgängig zu überzeugen – Genial!
Auch die Produktion ist zweifelsfrei sehr gelungen und räumt allen Elementen genügend Platz ein. Somit ist Ea II unterm Strich ein genialer, emotionaler, intensiver Brocken Funeral Doom, wie ich ihn seit dem Ahab Debüt nicht mehr gehört habe wobei die Amis in puncto Klangtiefe und Breite eindeutig die Nase vorn haben.
Fazit: Jeder der mit Ahab und Konsorten warm werden kann, MUSS Ea II sein eigen nennen. Ea haben hier ein geniales Album von Sphärischem, intensivem Funeral Doom mit hohem Suchtfaktor abgeliefert!!!
Author: Blizzard
Review
Metalrage..com
8.7/10
11.08.2009
Alright, personally I’m not a huge fan of the funeral doom, I prefer the one which stoners the hell out of me. Yet EA manage to create an atmosphere of which a lot of bands can only dream. Melancholic, dragging slow doom metal with many layers, divided over two twenty minute passing songs. The most dramatic melodies, the heaviest, depressing riffage, ancient goliath vocals, pain and despair all over. Yet somehow I also get this bit of misanthropic black metal feel, can’t really explain why, but if I were to picture this music in imagery I’d see woods, endless snowy woods. And mountains. A bit like the Striborg DVD, but in a good way.
I sort of like the way they manage to keep everything as anonymous as possible. There are no credits to be found whatsoever, no members, no studio, no mixer, just the label info. The songs don’t even have titles! A great concept with an extremely good music to accompany it. One of the darkest records I’ve heard, this one will probably end up in my player as winter comes again. Check it out if you hate life, yourself and everything around you. Or if you just like really good funeral doom metal. Evoke your worst moments in life with EA!
Author: DemonDust
Review
Metalcrypt
4.5/5
14.07.2009
Another enigmatic work from this enigmatic band, who are so kvlt they don’t even list pseudonyms for the unnamed band members. I thought their debut Ea Tasse was a masterful exercise in Funeral Doom magic, and this album picks right up where that one left off. Ea II contains two songs, which are so mysterious they don’t even have titles. I mean, one would think having all lyrics written in a made-up language would be obscure enough, but no, Ea don’t even name their songs.
Two tracks still means over 45 minutes of slow Doom crushing accented with powerful keyboard melodies and deep atmosphere. This is orchestral, heavy, and involving music that draws you inexorably into its moody and ancient landscape. Vocals are sparse and mixed very low, so mostly this is almost like an instrumental Doom album. The sound and quality are very close to the original album, so if you like Funeral Doom, then this is not a disc to pass up. Powerful, arcane, and upliftingly gloomy. The soundtrack to crumbling monuments and mist-shrouded ruins.
Author: Sargon the Terrible
Review
Shapeless Zine
8/10
August 2009
Sono passati tre anni da quando gli Ea hanno pubblicato il loro primo album, “Ea Taesse” (la cui recensione и presente nei nostri archivi), ma l’alone di oscuritа che contraddistingue il gruppo da sempre, non si и affatto dipanato. Poche cose si sanno sugli Ea: sono americani, ed “Ea II” и il loro secondo lavoro. Si sa anche che i due dischi non sono stati preceduti da alcun demo. Per il resto, tutto и avvolto dal mistero. Si pensa che sia un gruppo, e non una one-man-band. Inoltre, gli Ea fanno parte da anni della grande famiglie della Solitude, un’etichetta il cui nome и garanzia di qualitа. E, in effetti, “Ea Taesse” si era dimostrato un gran disco. In tre tracce, gli americani avevano dato vita ad un universo fatto di malinconia e paesaggi notturni, capaci di toccare l’animo dell’ascoltatore.
Con “Ea II”, il gruppo non и certo tornato sui suoi passi. Anzi, ha estremizzato in un certo senso la sua proposta. Nonostante i 48 minuti circa di durata del CD, il disco и suddiviso in sole due tracce, questa volta senza titolo. E, come al solito, nel libretto non c’и traccia dei testi. Anzi, и ripetuta la stessa affermazione giа stampata sul libretto precedente: “Ea и basato sui testi sacri delle antiche civitа. Questi testi sono stati scritti utilizzando la lingua morta ricreata sulla base dei risultati ottenuti dalle ricerche archeologiche. Ea sono le voci degli antichi che ci hanno raggiunto attraverso i secoli”.
Queste parole evocative sono l’unica scritta che compaia in un artwork tra l’altro molto scuro, dove si intravedono appena delle forme azzurrine. Sembrano radiografie, anche se l’immagine di copertina и molto meno definibile. Come al solito, comunque, gli Ea non ci comunicano alcun dato: nи formazione, nи studi di registrazione, nи ringraziamenti. Niente di niente. Silenzi su silenzi.
La musica proposta dal gruppo, non si differenzia eccessivamente da quella presente nel disco precedente. Ci troviamo di fronte ad un funeral doom atmosferico, evocativo, e tremendamente dilatato. Non si tratta di un ascolto facile. Giа il funeral doom, in sи, и un genere ostico. In piщ, gli Ea non concedono all’ascoltatore alcun appiglio. La musica prosegue sempre per la sua strada, e dev’essere l’ascoltatore a cedere ed a lasciarsi trasportare. Non si puт pretendere che gli Ea vengano incontro ai nostri gusti ed alle nostre esigenze. La loro и una musica introspettiva, una colonna sonora per le nostre meditazioni. Ed и un ascolto che richiede impegno. Bisogna sentirsi in grado di affrontare questo lungo viaggio tra le note lunghissime ed i tanti silenzi. Le note vengono dilatate allo spasimo, cosм come il ritmo. Non esiste un vero e proprio dinamismo in questa musica, nonostante l’indubbia potenza, evidente soprattutto nelle bordate di chitarra. Le due composizioni presenti in “Ea II” sono piщ simili a composizioni ambient potenziate, dove a sequenze di note seguono altre sequenze, dove i suoni si stratificano, sommandosi l’uno dopo l’altro, e viceversa. La voce, un gutturale profondo, colora i vari passaggi. Ma che il linguaggio utilizzato sia una lingua morta o una lingua viva, questo и indifferente, perchи le parole sono francamente incomprensibili. La voce и semplicemente un altro orpello dell’arrangiamento, il vero punto di forza di questi americani. La scelta dei suoni, il vari strumenti che si inseriscono al momento giusto, le esplosioni di suono seguite dagli improvvisi silenzi, le note solitarie, l’organo maestoso e sacrale, le tastiere invadenti… tutti questi particolari, rendono la musica degli Ea veramente interessante. Perciт, occorre apprestarsi all’ascolto di questo CD con una mentalitа aperta, e con l’attenzione sveglia. Perchи sarebbe riduttivo ascoltare “Ea II” solo come sottofondo. La musica di questa band и davvero buona e piacevole, e puт evocare veramente sogni e visioni. Bisogna soltanto capirla, imparare a “sentirla” ed a “viverla”.
Nella mia recensione del loro album precedente, avevo affermato quanto quello fosse un “disco da vivere”. Ecco, la stessa cosa vale anche per questo “Ea II”. Non и un passatempo, nи i 48 minuti del CD sono puro intrattenimento. Qua la musica richiede attenzione, richiede che l’ascoltatore si pieghi al suo volere. Bisogna essere pronti ad accoglierla. Ragion per cui, per la seconda volta, non posso che complimentarmi con questa band e con la Solitude. un disco difficile, ma che darа grandi soddisfazioni a chi riuscirа a seguirlo fino in fondo: al termine, imparerа ad amarlo.
Author: Hellvis
Review
Heavy Impact
7.5/10
14.07.2009
Secondo album per questo oscuro progetto funeral doom statunitense, questa è l’unica e sola coordinata esistenziale, che ci concedono gli EA, già autori di Ea Taesse del 2006. II, è composto da due lunghissimi momenti fatti di pura ed arcana forza spirituale, una forza spirituale che disdegna ogni denotazione, tanto da non dar titolo alle composizioni presenti. La proposta della band è qualcosa che elude, volutamente, ogni rimando alla forma composita di quella che può essere definita musica. Ci si trova a dover affrontare due rimandi ad una concezione che vede la rappresentazione come qualcosa di molto vicino ad un puro ideale, e per questo indefinibile. L’album si fa strada attraverso il concetto di ripetizione, una ripetizione che diviene forma contemplativa atta a ripudiare volutamente ogni rimando alla fisicità e alla determinazione.
Due lunghi movimenti, ove prendono forma riffs grevi, funeree marce di percussioni, intense fughe pianistiche, arpeggi acustici, vocals buie ed effetti volti a ricreare il suono degli elementi (primi fra tutti, acqua e vento). Un lavoro, che esige una predisposizione acuta ed attenta da parte dell’ascoltatore, proprio in virtù di questo suo amorfismo sonoro. II è un disco per pochissimi, ma questi potrebbero essere in grado di cogliere il rimando ad altro da sé che è a fondamento di questo piccolo capolavoro di funeral doom sperimentale. Consigliato a chi ha una volontà atta a far propria, una continua sensazione di vertigine.
Author: Andrea Angelino
Review
Metalitalia
7/10
13.03.2009
Probabilmente i più attenti di voi si ricorderanno degli Ea, band ben più che misteriosa della quale si conosce solo lo stato di provenienza, ovverosia gli Stati Uniti. Dopo un esordio decisamente buono che si muoveva su coordinate prettamente funeral doom, i nostri tornano sul mercato con questo seguito denominato semplicemente “II”. Diciamo subito che il nuovo lavoro ricalca perfettamente quanto già sentito sul debut: quindi largo spazio a partiture lente ed epicheggianti e ad arrangiamenti minimalisti che però fanno sì che si intraveda della luce in mezzo alle tenebre generate dalle chitarre e dalla voce da orco, peraltro utilizzata pochissimo. I brani che compongono “II” sono solo due, ma dalla durata monstre superiore ai venti minuti ciascuno. I pregi degli Ea sono sempre gli stessi e vengono messi in evidenza anche in questo caso. La magniloquenza di certi passaggi fa pensare ad una versione iper-rallentata di una colonna sonora da film epico; certi squarci pianistici poi sono davvero emozionanti e colpiscono dritti al cuore, grazie ad una capacità di mantenere alta la tensione lirica davvero fuori dal comune. Il funeral doom dei nostri colpisce proprio perché è lontano dai cliché che lo vogliono soffocante e angoscioso: la musica degli americani invece, pur essendo immersa nella tristezza e nella malinconia, esprime altre emozioni, più “ottimistiche” (passateci il termine), meno notturne ma più crepuscolari. L’unico difetto, peraltro non di poco conto, è la mancanza di varietà compositiva: gli Ea infatti sanno miscelare con maestria il funeral, la musica epica e darkeggiante e l’ambient, ma lo fanno sempre e comunque nello stesso modo, senza nessun tipo di variazione. Almeno questo è quello che è accaduto fino ad oggi contando tutte e cinque la canzoni partorite finora dalla band. Forse è prematuro preoccuparsi, dato che comunque la qualità delle composizioni è sempre elevata ed il genere musicale proposto non è particolarmente elastico, ma iniziare a mostrare la corda già al secondo album può essere un sintomo da non sottovalutare. Ai fini della recensione questo costa loro solo mezzo punto in meno, ma in futuro vorremmo vedere e sentire qualcosa di più.
Author: Luca Filisetti
Review
Hardsounds
6.5/10
27.06.2009
A distanza di tre anni dal debutto discografico gli Ea si riaffacciano sul mercato con una nuova release intitolata semplicemente ‘Ea II’, pubblicata ancora una volta dalla solidissima etichetta russa Solitude Prod. decisa a puntare sul visionario funeral doom elargito da questo bizzarro ensemble statunitense.
Le scarne note biografiche forniteci ci dicono che testi e concept del progetto ruotano attorno a dei testi sacri di un’antica civiltà ormai scomparsa usando, di fatto, una lingua morta ricreata grazie a degli appositi studi archeologici. Continuano così i punti di domanda su questa band della quale si sa tuttora poco o nulla, vista la mancanza di nomi, di una line-up e di una qualsiasi foto o sito internet. Un alone di mistero forzato e forse anche un po’ troppo pacchiano, grazie al quale rischiamo di perdere di vista l’aspetto fondamentale, ovvero la musica.
Devo dire che il precedente ‘Ea Taesse’ non mi aveva colpito in maniera particolare, andando ad alimentare dei dubbi sulla qualità dell’esecuzione dei brani, dove spesso e volentieri avevamo una batteria fuori fase e degli arrangiamenti tastieristici troppo stucchevoli e ridondanti. Con ‘Ea II’ gli americani provano a mettere a fuoco le proprie partiture snellendo il sound in toto, partendo da delle chitarre poste più in primo piano e finendo con delle divagazioni in territori ambient più approfondite rispetto al passato. Viene meno la voce femminile, qui totalmente abbandonata dopo gli accostamenti poco felici con i finnici Shape Of Despair.
Il risultato finale è sicuramente un qualcosa di meno pesante e più fluido all’ascolto, ma che non cambia di una virgola nella sostanza. Nelle due lunghe suite (oltre i venti minuti) che compongono il cd troveremo i classici ritmi lenti e asfissianti ormai caratteristici di un genere come il funeral doom, dove chitarre e synth sono chiamati a tessere melodie drammatiche e a tratti, come in questo caso, vagamente orrorifiche.
La produzione del disco è molto buona e valorizza in pieno i potenti pattern chitarristici, mentre sono decisamente da rivedere i suoni delle tastiere dove piano, organo e cori suonano un po’ troppo posticci e privi del giusto feeling e di una dinamica accettabile.
Purtroppo gli Ea sono una band dal potenziale validissimo, ma alla quale manca quel guizzo in grado di fare la differenza, quel qualcosa in più capace di far ridestare l’ascoltatore dal magma sonoro uniforme creato dal gruppo stesso. Il funeral doom è un genere ostico e va suonato con la morte nel cuore e un’attitudine mortifera, gli Ea a questo stato ci sono andati vicini ma anche in questo caso il balzo verso la consacrazione è stato rimandato.
Author: Danny “ethere” De Barba
Review
Metal-Norge
6.5/10
05.08.2009
Fint lite å si om dette bandet gitt, bortsett fra at det er amerikansk funeral doom. Mere info finner jeg ikke, med unntak av at bandet, evt. artisten har gitt ut ei plate før denne. Og til og med låtene har ingen navn, ingen tekster og vel, coveret gir meg ingenting det heller.
Men funeral doom kan være så mangt, og heldigvis er dette noe mere spiselig enn den vanlige drøvtygginga. Dette er nemlig ganske melodiske saker til tider, det vil si, så melodisk en begravelse kan være. Men med en tung rytmeseksjon og ganske bombastiske vegger av gitarer, så kommer da Ea seg utav gjørma. At de kan sammenlignes som et snillere Skepticism er vel ikke helt utav dimensjoner, og også Shape of Despair er et referansepunkt, selv om de ikke når hverkan samme kvalitet eller melodigang, bare enkelte stemningspunkter som faller sammen.
To låter på over tjue minutter hver er drøyt da, og jeg kjenner tålmodigheten min strekkes farlig langt under begge. Men det ramler heldigvis aldri over grensa, så jeg kan til og med digge dette til tider. Bare synd at det mangler det litt ekstra med seg, og også at den uharmoniserte synthen som kommer inn på slutten av førstelåta forstyrrer meg nok til å bli ufokusert på vel, halve albumet.
Men sjekk det ut dere som er heftig inne i sjangeren. Ea kan kanskje gjøre et vakkert, eh, eventuelt trist epos som det står respekt av før eller siden.
Author: haavard
Review
PAVILLON 666
5/10
16.07.2009
Un groupe américain sur un label russe? Gorbatchev en rêvait, Solitude Production l’a fait. Le label étant cité, inutile donc d’essayer de maintenir le suspens sur le son de EA : voilà du Doom, et avec un grand « D » s’il vous plait.
Ah, le doom, style mystérieux et impénétrable, mais qui lui, au moins peut se vanter de n’avoir à aucun moment succombé aux sirènes du commerce pour toujours conserver des valeurs musicales fortes.
L’image de la fameuse « spirale tourbillonnante sans fond » souvent utilisée comme métaphore du style prend sans tarder sa forme, EA évoluant ainsi sous un schéma des plus minimaliste. Sur un fond permanent de synthé, ou d’orgue se superposent de lentes, très lentes, très très lentes notes de guitares très lourdes à la sonorité typique. Le métronome rend l’âme, les battements passant de 6 battements par minute à finalement…au néant…Par moment plus proche de l’ambiant, les deux titres (eux même fragmentés en sorte de chapitres, pour une durée totale de 47 minutes) expriment la quintessence du style sous une forme essentiellement instrumentale.
Les vocaux d’outre tombe, se font effectivement très réduits, et passent en second plan; quelques chuchotements se font parfois entendre, rappelant que le nom du groupe représente « la voix des ancêtres venue à notre rencontre à travers les siècles ». Derrière cette musique minimaliste se cache alors un concept fort. EA explique effectivement que ses textes sont basés sur une langue morte tirée d’anciennes civilisations et retrouvée grâce à des recherches archéologiques. Une sorte d’atmosphère étrange se dessine alors, et si quelques notes de piano viennent agrémenter la deuxième partie d’album, les éléments d’accroche demeurent rares et très insuffisants pour maintenir l’attention d’une oreille qui peut décrocher facilement à tout moment.
L’aspect émotionnel, a contrario d’autres formations doom, ressort ici difficilement et une concentration particulière peut se révéler nécessaire pour vraiment entrer au cœur de l’album. Une fois pénétré, EA II laissera l’esprit dériver dans l’océan de ses pensées profondes mais l’exercice est délicat et mis à part les plus aguerris fan ultimes du genre, les autres se heurteront au silence de la lenteur ultime des sons créés, et d’un exercice de style peut être un peu abusif. Anti heavy métal par excellence, l’album n’est donc pas accessible à toutes les oreilles et mis à part un concept intrigant et original, le rendu sonore pourra paraitre, et c’est un peu dommage, l’être un peu moins.
Author: S.Y.L.
Review
metal.de
29.08.2009
EA. Ein Bandname bestehend aus zwei Buchstaben. Das Album mit “II“ betitelt und keinerlei Hinweise auf die beteiligten Musiker. Das wirkt schon im Vorfeld reichlich skurril, bevor man überhaupt einen Ton der Band gehört hat. Die Musik der Band schließt sich dem folgerichtig auch an.
Ähnlich wie ihre Labelkollegen von REVELATIONS OF RAIN haben sich EA ganz dem Funeral-Doom-Metal gewidmet. Dabei gehen EA sogar noch ein Stück weiter als die Russen. Auf “II“ gibt es im Prinzip nur einen Song, aufgeteilt in zwei nicht benannte Tracks, zu hören. Zudem ist die Musik noch ein Stück weit langsamer und wirkt dadurch um einiges bedrückender als die der Kollegen. Die Riffs kommen im wörtlichen Sinn wie zähflüssige Lava aus den Boxen und wirken so recht brutal. Gleiches gilt für die Melodien auf dem Album. Die sind zwar nicht brutal, aber ebenso zähflüssig und minimalistisch wie die Riffs selbst. Dem gegenüber stehen atmosphärische Keyboards, die mal lediglich einen Teppich unter die Riffs legen und mal eine bedrohliche Atmosphäre erzeugen. Hinzu kommen die gegrowlten Vocals und Teste, die der Legende nach, einer längst vergangenen Sprache entstammen. Erweitert und aufgelockert wird das Ganze zusätzlich durch schöne, melancholische Pianoparts und Effekten wie tropfendem Wasser, die die einzigartige Klangwelt von EA noch ein wenig mystischer gestalten.
Aus diesen Zutaten entsteht ein Gebräu, das nicht wirklich einfach zu verdauen ist. Zu viele Facetten bleiben einem verwehrt, wenn man sich der Scheibe nicht intensiv widmet. Funeral-Doom-Jünger werden ihre dunkle Freude an dem Album haben, keine Frage. Es wird aber ebenso viele (wahrscheinlich sogar noch mehr) Metaller geben, die mit der Platte nichts anfangen können. EA sind eben eine spezielle Band, deren Musik nur bei bestimmten Stimmungen des Hörers funktioniert. Daher sollte sich jeder selbst ein Bild machen und für sich entscheiden, ob er in die (faszinierenden) Klangwelten von EA eintauchen will, oder ob er “II“ einfach nur langweilig findet.
Author: Colin
Review
Atlantis Tales
10/10
После блестящего дебютного альбома EA “Ea Taesse” дальнейшее творчество этого загадочного проекта ожидалось с нетерпением. На альбоме “Ea II” можно услышать величественный и всепоглощающий funeral doom metal поистине космических масштабов. Вязь мелодичных, сверхтяжелых и тягучих гитар составляет стержень этой работы, вокруг которого создается Музыка, поворачивающая время вспять, обращающая слушателя к далеким временам и ушедшими за ними цивилизациями, а может даже и мирами. Капающие в бездну капли, звуки органа, глубокий гроул и чистейшие соло-партии гитары и клавишных в совокупности своей создают уникальную и ни с чем не сравнимую атмосферу слияния времен – универсального безвременья, забытья и безграничности жизни и смерти. “Ea II” столь же велик, как и “Ea Taesse”, но звучит совершенно по иному – мрак становится все более поглощающим, а тишина натягивает нервы как струны. На этот раз, таинственные музыканты, создавшие этот альбом, оставили еще меньше шансов на идентификацию авторства – на обложке нельзя увидеть ни названия проекта (группы), ни названия альбома; даже две композиции (звучащие около 50 минут), составляющие этот альбом были оставлены без названия. А в 6-страничном буклете-развороте можно увидеть все ту же надпись: “Ea is based on the sacral texts of ancient civilizations. These texts were composed using the dead language recreated on the basis of results of archeological researches. Ea is voices of ancients that reached us through centures”…
Author: Atlantis
Review
Heavymusic.ru
9.5/10
26.06.2009
На московском думовом лейбле Solitude Productions вышел второй альбом таинственного американского фьюнерал-дум метал проекта Ea. Напомню, что неизвестен город происхождения музыкантов, имена музыкантов, фотографии, лирика песен, и т.д. Первый альбом был великолепным путешествием в глубины древности и непознанного, новый – продолжение трипа. Музыка стала ещё более атмосфернее и глубже – это превосходный фьюнерал, очень погружающий в себя, с глубочайшим гроулом, размеренной ритмикой, пиано, органом и просто тяжёлой атмосферой, нет, не давящей, а просто поглощающей вас. Я не сказал бы, что музыка очень мелодична или по-попсовому красива, но она величественна и могущественна, да и приятна на слух. В общем, ещё один отличный фьюнерал-думовый альбом от Ea.
Author: Demether
Review
Darkside
8/10
15.05.2009
Выходцы из иных времен и цивилизаций, ошеломившие дум-металлический мир своим дебютным посланием, готовы поделиться с нами еще одной порцией своих сакральных знаний. Новый альбом таинственных EA готов ворваться в сознание людей XXI века, чтобы посеянные в нем его предшественником семена дали всходы, превратив нас… В кого? В маленьких клонов Ктулху? Или в адептов Тсатоггуа с Шуб-Ниггуратом? Впрочем, неважно. Даже если музыка призвана всего лишь пробудить в нас души древних шумеров, это ей вряд ли удастся. За годы жизни среди простых смертных EA утратили значительную часть своей божественной искры, очеловечились, и образ их уже не вызывает мгновенного желания склониться в молитвенно-уничижительном поклоне. Богам нечего делать на Земле. Богам нечего сказать людям. Богам не переделать сущность человечества. Второй альбом EA – это по-прежнему очень хорошая музыка, но в отличие от “Ea Taesse” в ней нет ровным счетом ничего неземного, ничего древнего и таинственного. Это просто добротный, по-своему красивый и стильный funeral doom, очень сильно (ну, просто очень сильно) напоминающий о SKEPTICISM (и о COMATOSE VIGIL, кстати, тоже). А вот былой атмосферы, былого духа, былой тайны в нем нет. Став плотнее и ощутимо тяжелее, словно бы сгустившись в некое плотное ядро, звук EA стал в гораздо большей степени соответствовать стандартам жанра, утратив при этом оригинальность и необычность, «неправильность», которая притягивала слух подобно сильнейшему магниту, заставляя застыть на месте и внимать открывающимся истинам. Нет теперь в музыке и пафоса, который мог кому-то казаться излишним, но как без него боги могут разговаривать со смертными? Только этим самым смертным уподобившись. Вот EA и уподобились… Теперь их альбом можно брать и вставлять в учебник для иллюстрации стиля. Но разве можно сравнить наглядное пособие и шедевр музыкального искусства! Другое дело, что шедевры не рождаются по заказу. Трудно, да и невозможно, наверное, было повторить успех “Ea Taesse”. Музыканты решили не входить в одну реку дважды, и попытались сделать что-то немного иное: убрали столь явный акцент с клавишных, уплотнили гитары, минимизировали органные оркестровки, получив в результате гораздо более тяжелый и мрачный саунд, чем на дебютном альбоме. Но, к сожалению, тяжесть эта придавила собой уникальную атмосферу и в ошметки разнесла Тайну. Если попытаться себе представить, что первый альбом вообще никогда не существовал, то пластинка с порядковым номером «II» будет очень и очень хорошим релизом, способным пробудить эмоции в душе любого думстера. Вот только искать таких придется среди тех, кто знать не знает, что сделала эта группа раньше.
Author: old man
Review
Darkside.ru
6/10
19.04.2009
Узнав о выходе нового альбома, я тут же решил заказать себе оба альбома в лицензии. Первый был заслушан мной до такой степени, что дисковод просто накрылся! Теперь вот второй альбом…
Итак, «Untitled I»: весьма добротная вещь! Вот если и весь альбом был ТАКИМ, альбом бы удался однозначно… Нет, говорить, что Ea «II» – очередной продукт МассДумПрод-а я не буду, но то, что данное творение не дотягивает до «Ea Taesse», по-моему, поймет каждый начинающий думстер. Но кайф продлился не долго… 22 минуты прошли как одна! И моему слуху предстал «Untitled II»…
Хм… А это точно Ea?! Разве они могут играть так… незахватывающе… поверхностно, что ли!? Не верю! Но это оказалось правдой. Лишенный той нотки романтики, грусти, которой так хотелось, трек оказался «очередным из…»! Пытаясь хоть что-то выловить в этом творении, надеясь услышать ну хоть под конец что-то цепляющее, музыка вдруг прекратилась… На этом диск закончился!
Какие тут можно сделать выводы!? Воспользуюсь, наверное, банальной фразой типа «альбом вроде хороший, но уже не то, что раньше…» Но обязательно найдутся те, кто посчитает Ea «II» шедевром на все времена… Но не я!
P.S. Такс… А где же женский вокал, который так замечательно вписывался в сакральную атмосферу предыдущего альбома!? Или ходил пить кофе и пропустил!?
Author: Dr MefistO
The Streets
7/10
31.09.2009
Da foreligger album nummer to fra dette enigmatiske Funeral Doom-bandet. Det er fortsatt ingen info å spore om selve bandet, annet enn at USA er opprinnelsesland (angiveligvis). Som sist er lyrikken basert på urgamle og hellige tekster, uten at man får vite noe mer enn akkurat det. Så fremt det er mulig, vil jeg hevde at musikken er mindre dyster og mer oppløftende nå, enn hva som var tilfellet med debuten. Plata er delt opp i to spor med en spilletid på godt over tyve minutter på hvert av dem. Stort sett dundres det ut powerchords, noe som er med på å gi en buldrende og hypnotisk effekt. Synthen er også flittig brukt og ligger som et lydteppe rundt gitar, trommer og bass. Det brukes også kirkeorgellyd innimellom og det er bare å beklage at de ikke benytter denne type lyd mer, for det funker som fjell og gir god variasjon fra den pad-lyden som i hovedsak dominerer. Vokalen er så surklende som du får det og forlater aldri det dype tonespekteret sitt, selv når den krysser over i hviskemodus. Et lurt trekk da dette klang/toneleiet passer utmerket sammen med resten av lydbildet. På den negative siden tværes det til tider for lenge på enkelte partier og ved gjentatte lyttinger blir man fort klar over at det ville gjort seg med mer «skjult» snadder i kulissene. Trommebruken er kreativ, men kan av den grunn også virke forstyrrende på lytteopplevelsen. De 47 minuttene forsvinner likevel fort og karakteren vaker mellom syv og åtte, men siden forrige skive tross alt var bedre så vipper vi ned.
Author: Rune
Review
Chronicles of Chaos
9/10
24.10.2009
This is Ea’s second album, containing two untitled tracks and lyrics drawn from ancient sacral texts. They reside somewhere in the US.
That is the sum of information available on the band; I cannot find band names, not even pseudonyms, and remain clueless as to the number of members. There is no info on where or when this was recorded. Normally, such kult kiddie attempts at remaining mysterious are reserved for black metal bands, whose shoddy music alone is destined to consign them to well-deserved obscurity, but Ea are neither black nor shit.
This is not a complex band, nor have they departed significantly, if at all, from the motif of their debut: simple and drawn out riffs, and reverbed to the lord of the depths himself, accompanied by a wash of synths to create their epic funeral doom atmosphere. Growls are low in the mix, and vocals so ridiculously guttural as to be just another instrument serving the low end. The song structures are simple and fairly predictable in their alternations between metal and ambient, but that’s part of the territory. (Don’t bother trying to hear any lyrics, and good luck in finding any online.)
This does not differ significantly from their debut, but no-one expected otherwise and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Author: Quentin Kalis
Review
Brutalism
5/5
08.11.2009
One of the most obscure bands in Doom has to be Ea, not only are they extremely underground they keep it that way by not having a website that I can find anywhere. They even push the obscurity level up a notch by giving out no information on who is involved in the band and they don’t even bother with song titles. The two tracks on this second album from the band are both untitled and if you think that is obscure then wait till you hear how bleak and depressing this Funeral doom is. The 47 minutes on this release contain some of the most desperate, torture, mournful and emotional doom ever produced. The music has a kind of depressing ambiance that draws the listener in for better or for worse, that part of it is clearly up to you and your taste in Doom Metal.The slow drumming accompanied by the heavy, angst-ridden riff-age builds up a great saddened aura surrounding the music. You can feel the personal torment, of an individual on the edge of ending his/her miserable life, come through the music. The organ sound added to the mix makes it even more bombastic, and it feels almost like a twisted church mass.The slowly growled, tortured vocals creates a atmosphere that is incredibly stark. This is right up there with the best of them; Worship, Mournful Congregation, Thergothon and other leaders in the Funeral Doom realm. Along with the organ there is piano’s, synths, guitars -acoustic and electric all pushing the sadness level to a point where at times it can be too much to bear. Not a happy album at all, this is pure Funeral doom that is extreme for the emotional heights that the music reaches at times. Intense guitar lines build layer upon layer and add the ambiance created by epic synths and beautiful keyboard lines and you have a sound that is rich, full and with a total dramatic edge. There is other little touches that make the album even more dramatic like the sound of a heartbeat slowing to a stop, or the simple drip drop of water in the background, all adding to the cinematic quality of the music. The album may too ambient for some but there is also a lot of straight out bombastic raw heaviness to create a balance but it also has its fair share of annoying moments like the pointless piano-hitting around the twelfth minute of the first track is definitely irritating. This is a heavy duty Funeral Doom album that is no easy listening experience but one that I instantly hooked onto. I listen to the album 6 times the first day I got it because it has that quality that can be listened to in the background or cranked up for maximum sonic affect. Solitude Productions is the site to go to if you want to find out more about this band but good luck, I haven’t found a website, not even another review to find info on band members and so on. Obscure yes but a potential classic Funeral Doom album, only time will tell if they get the publicity they deserve.
Author: ed
Review
Live 4 Metal
US funeral Doom merchants Ea don’t exactly make reviewing their material an easy task. I’ve no background information on them (still). I can tell you I really liked their debut album, 2006′s Ea Taesse, which consisted of 1 track, broken down into 3 parts, with a running time of 55 minutes. We’re spoilt this time around though as the album consists of 2 untitled tracks, with a running time of 47 minutes.
In a nutshell, this is atmospheric Funeral Doom. The riffs are so far apart that you could fall asleep in the time it takes each successive riff to appear… this is slooooow. But it is beautiful, which is all that matters to me. I find Doom makes me happy and the sexier it
sounds, the happier I am. And while the misery factor is practically non-existent because of the ambient keyboards which keep this feeling light, (despite the funereal pace), this one will still appeal to the miserablists amongst you.
Review
Darkcity 52\2009
4/5
Сентябрь\Октябрь 2009
Второй альбом загадочной группы, название которой состоит лишь из двух букв, также не балует многообразием содержания – на нем вы найдете всего две безымянных композиции (правда, каждая из них длительностью за 20 минут). Тотальный информационно-визуальный аскетизм релиза компенсируется весьма впечатпяющим музыкальным материалом: эпический фьюнерал-дум солиден и даже монументален, а использованные в нём “сакральные тексты древних цивилизаций” не дают повода усомниться во всей серьезности представленной работы. Пожалуй, эре доминировавших в этой нише финский команд приходит конец!
Author: Ан.К.
Review
Chronicles of Chaos
9/10
24.10.2009
This is Ea’s second album, containing two untitled tracks and lyrics drawn from ancient sacral texts. They reside somewhere in the US.
That is the sum of information available on the band; I cannot find band names, not even pseudonyms, and remain clueless as to the number of members. There is no info on where or when this was recorded. Normally, such kult kiddie attempts at remaining mysterious are reserved for black metal bands, whose shoddy music alone is destined to consign them to well-deserved obscurity, but Ea are neither black nor shit.
This is not a complex band, nor have they departed significantly, if at all, from the motif of their debut: simple and drawn out riffs, and reverbed to the lord of the depths himself, accompanied by a wash of synths to create their epic funeral doom atmosphere. Growls are low in the mix, and vocals so ridiculously guttural as to be just another instrument serving the low end. The song structures are simple and fairly predictable in their alternations between metal and ambient, but that’s part of the territory. (Don’t bother trying to hear any lyrics, and good luck in finding any online.)
This does not differ significantly from their debut, but no-one expected otherwise and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Author: Quentin Kalis
Review
Friedhof Magazine
8.5/10
03.10.2009
Solitude Productions vuelve a la carga de nuevo para presentarnos una misteriosa iniciativa que se baña en las aguas del misterio, la cual pretenden dejarse lo más oculto posible con un propósito comercial, imaginamos. De hecho encontrar información de esta banda en Internet es extraño, parecen incluso que ni siquiera tienen MySpace, y en la misma web del sello discográfico afirman que la procedencia de esta banda es desconocida, aunque han debido de tener algún tipo de filtración, ya que en otros sitios aseguran que son de EEUU. El propio booklet de la banda no contiene ninguna información, ni nombre, ni cantidad de miembros, ni letras, ni nombre, ni número de canciones… No tiene nada de nada, excepto un par de párrafos en los que explican brevemente que “EA” se basa en los textos sagrados de las antiguas civilizaciones y que las letras de sus temas están escritas en lenguas muertas, recreadas gracias al fruto de una investigación arqueológica. ¿Será esto cierto o es simplemente una manera elegante de evitarse crear letras para los temas?
“EA II” es un álbum de Funeral Doom denso, atmosférico y gordo en la onda de Shape of Despair, es decir, música lenta, acompañada de guitarras ultra graves y teclados omnipresentes melancólicos, tétricos órganos de iglesia, con una voz gutural dignas de una pesadilla. Este álbum lo componen únicamente dos temas, y tiene una duración de un poco más de tres cuartos de hora. Son melodías cambiantes muy lúgubres, oscuras y melancólicas. La producción es brillante, las composiciones son magistrales y están hechas con mucha madurez, quizás la única pega que se puede encontrar a su música es que la batería de vez en cuando hace algunos arreglos extraños, dentro de su extrema lentitud que caracteriza a su estilo, que los hace sonar como si fueran pequeños fallos.
Alguien que se autoproclame fan del Doom Metal no debería dejar pasar la ocasión de escuchar esta sobresaliente grabación, que sin duda yo considero de lo mejor que ha llegado a mis manos durante este año. Espectaculares.
Author: Azathoth
Review
Metal Reviews
86/100
One of the more mysterious metal bands ever to exist, the overly enigmatic Ea have returned with a second album that amazingly offers even less insight into the band than their solid debut Ea Taesse. This album, entitled simply II, has no song titles. In fact, the liner notes only contain the information, repeated from the first album, that this band is based on a sacral text of a dead language recovered from an archaeological study. What has also remained largely the same is the sound and atmosphere of the band. II may not advance or improve upon the sound of Ea Taesse, but it is still a solid slab of funeral doom.
Like the first album, II is meant to be listened to from beginning to end, in one sitting. There are two untitled “tracks”, and though there is a tangible pause when one gives way to the other, this album still works best as one long and epic funeral doom suite. The one new wrinkle that jumped out at me the most is that the overall sound feels far more romanticized than last time. By that I mean that there are more piano passages and slowly unfurling guitar leads. This leads to a more epic and expansive sound, but I prefer the suffocating and more desolate approach of Ea Taesse to be honest. That’s not to say that II is bad, far from it, but this style just doesn’t work as well for the band in my opinion. Vocals are once again very sparse, their guttural tone serving merely to advance the cold atmosphere. There are a few new sounds used to great effect, including some eerie water drops, and a creaky dungeon-esque noise. The dungeon sound is probably the point that I found the strongest on the album, as it is followed by a howling wind sound coupled with an unsettling bell toll, which eventually gives way to by far the deepest and heaviest riff to be found here. The problem is that moments like this are not as abundant as they were on the previous album, and in turn I found there to be more plodding and unspectacular passages that just make the album feel longer.
I won’t deny feeling a wee bit of disappointment when I wasn’t as initially blown away by II as I was by Ea Taesse, but, after giving it some repeated listens and time to sink in, I feel that it is still one of the stronger funeral doom albums you will find this year. I do hope that Ea add a bit more of the empty feeling of their first album to go along with the epic nature of their music, but I guess I should just expect the unexpected, especially from a band as purposefully vague as this one.
Author: Adam
Review
MetalFront
7/10
02.02.2010
Ea… голос древних цивилизаций, канувших в лету много веков назад, эхо из бездны таинственного прошлого. Примерно так позиционировался проект в момент выхода своего первого альбома, а был тогда 2006 год на дворе. Вокруг этого имени был создан настоящий ареол сакральной загадочности. Но, знаете, я в него так и не поверил, не смог, да и попросту не захотел. Да, я услышал красивую величественную музыку, но это был просто неплохой funeral metal, и ничего больше. Так я воспринял и новое творения EA, не ожидая от него никаких эзотерических откровений, никакой магии. И не ошибся. Проект сохранил прежнее звучание: все тот же клавишный симфонизм, мощные и помпезные гитарные рифы в сопровождении неторопливых ударных, ну и, естественно, глухой, совершенно неразборчивый рык (возможно, у кого-нибудь возникнут ассоциации с голосом SKEPTICISM). Все точно так же, как и было на Ea Taesse. Однозначно, музыку во многом спасает качественный звук. Этим Ea, пожалуй, и завоевала свою популярность, если можно так выразиться в отношении funeral metal. Ну и еще можно отметить атмосферные ambient-зарисовки, добавляющие альбому шарма.
Если вам пришелся по вкусу Ea Taesse, смело можете слушать и этот альбом. Скорее всего, не разочаруетесь, но и ничего нового не услышите.
Author: Esoteric
Review
MetalLibrary
5/5
14.02.2010
Таинственная группа (говорят из Америки, хотя, мало ли что говорят…) Ea разродилась вторым своим альбомом, сократив уровень информативности до максимального предела. Название альбом кратенько – “II” – ровно та же цифра, сколько на альбоме находится безымянных композиций. Оформление с максимально загадочным рентгеном позвоночника, вероятно при функциональных пробах и пара слов в шестистраничной вкладке. Первый альбом, как и тексты погибших и ушедших цивилизаций, занесен песком времени и похоронен в глубинах памяти, а потому здесь и сейчас, под исследовательским ножом только это произведение funeral doom без продолжений, нитей, аналогий.
Ничего нового к этому релизу музыканты не изобрели – тяжелые, давящие гитары, хороший бас, плотные клавишные и угрюмый утробный гроул разрабатывают жилу эксперимента, посвященного священным текстам древних цивилизаций. Подчеркнуто музыкальные, с торжественными аккордами, завершающими медленные струи, ниспадающей светлой грусти, скорее всего, по ушедшим эпохам, раз построено это все на текстах древних цивилизаций. Восхитительные моменты солирующего пианино, как венец ощущения искусства в простом, но таком поглощающем действе этого альбома. Местами похоже на классическое произведение, этюд, растянутый на века, после его создания, а теперь отматываемый по частички назад. Концовка первой песни, словно шаги по тем неизвестным местам, в которые случайно ступил слушатель, правда после ambient вставки, тонкость повествования немного уходит, остается не самая впечатляющая, суховатая основа.
Вторая композиция начинается столь же патетично и отрешенно, переходя через мрачный гитарный отрезок с подпачканными гитарами в столь же смутное цитирование классических фортепьянных этюдов со включением острожного включения звуков духовых в фон. Все приобретает плаксиво-возвышенное настроение неоклассики, с которым благополучно обживается и орган, и гитары затем, и вокал, смешивавшийся до этого с гитарами, становится несколько мягче, чтобы вступить в кульминацию и затихнуть.
Все эти перипетии впечатляют – во-первых, потому что требуется недюжинная сноровка в режиссуре эмоциональных горок, выстроенных на отрезках по 25 минут, во-вторых, из-за того, что это все слушать совершенно не скучно. Повышенное ощущение Искусства, содержащегося в хорошей концентрации в музыке, становится ключом к пониманию этого творения. Но как ни крути, при наличии заметной доли атмосферности, в данном случае, древних цивилизаций мой разум не узрел. Не открылись тайны прошедших тысячелетий, не зрит мое око и не слышит шума бушующих голосов, оставшихся там, позади… Другие образы, другие внутренности, не менее замечательные и заметные, просвечивают в этом «
релизе. В конце концов, главное самому поверить, тогда и увидишь…«
Author: Maliceth aka Алк.
Review
Vibrations Of Doom Magazine/DOOM Radio
98/100
WOW… What a fantastic piece of funereal doom/death we have here from the
Russian label Solitude Productions. Although I hesitate to say funeral or even
funereal since the atmosphere is so unusually light and more melodic than most
within this genre. There are only 2 tracks here, and they are both untitled,
and BOTH clock in at over 20 minutes a piece. Each track bounces around a LOT
though, so it’s not over 20 minutes of the same old thing, but man the beauty
and sheer awesomeness that emanate from this disc are a thing to behold. Wind
sounds start the CD off, and you have some dark solitary piano notes. The heavy
guitar work comes in at about 2 minutes, and the slow but doomy leads follow.
The vocals finally make their deathly appearance at around 4 minutes, and is
probably the darkest thing (for the most part, more on that in a minute) on the
disc. I definitely loved the synthesizers, they convey such an amazing
atmosphere, and are often quite otherworldly in their appearance. You get more
solo piano notes, then finally the music seems to stop and you hear some water
dripping and a faint heartbeat. This kinda took some getting used to, as at
first it seems to interrupt the flow the track was going for, but soon the
synths kick in… Towards the end of this piece, however, some dark guitar
parts threaten to ruin it all for me. This tune ends a little oddly, however we
delve right into the second piece. You’re hearing some interesting sounds,
kinda like a tomb door opening and several whispered passages, and once again
we get a tad annoyed around the 8 minute mark with some dark and haunting
guitar passages; the first dark and ominous piece of music to grace the disc.
Even the pianos pick up a rather dark pace as well, though it was odd to hear
piano notes bounce back and forth between light and dark passages. I must say
that the synths create such an amazing atmosphere that you almost don’t notice;
there’s always a few things going on at once (like the acoustic styled one note
guitars over the heavy drawn out riffs and the synths backing it all up). I
thorougly enjoyed this album, even the church styled organs and multivocal
chants that end the CD in fine fashion. Probably one of the most unusual
releases in the doom/death category with an unusually light and beautiful vibe
running all the way through the disc. A stunning piece of work and I look
forward to their next full length (already out by the time you read this!)
Review
Doom Mantia
9/10
04.11.2009
One of the most obscure bands in Doom has to be Ea, not only are they extremely underground they keep it that way by not having a website that I can find anywhere. They even push the obscurity level up a notch by giving out no information on who is involved in the band and they don’t even bother with song titles. The two tracks on this second album from the band are both untitled and if you think that is obscure then wait till you hear how bleak and depressing this Funeral doom is. The 47 minutes on this release contain some of the most desperate, torture, mournful and emotional doom ever produced. The music has a kind of depressing ambiance that draws the listener in for better or for worse, that part of it is clearly up to you and your taste in Doom Metal.The slow drumming accompanied by the heavy, angst-ridden riff-age builds up a great saddened aura surrounding the music. You can feel the personal torment, of an individual on the edge of ending his/her miserable life, come through the music. The organ sound added to the mix makes it even more bombastic, and it feels almost like a twisted church mass.The slowly growled, tortured vocals creates a atmosphere that is incredibly stark. This is right up there with the best of them; Worship, Mournful Congregation, Thergothon and other leaders in the Funeral Doom realm. Along with the organ there is piano’s, synths, guitars -acoustic and electric all pushing the sadness level to a point where at times it can be too much to bear. Not a happy album at all, this is pure Funeral doom that is extreme for the emotional heights that the music reaches at times. Intense guitar lines build layer upon layer and add the ambiance created by epic synths and beautiful keyboard lines and you have a sound that is rich, full and with a total dramatic edge. There is other little touches that make the album even more dramatic like the sound of a heartbeat slowing to a stop, or the simple drip drop of water in the background, all adding to the cinematic quality of the music. The album may too ambient for some but there is also a lot of straight out bombastic raw heaviness to create a balance but it also has its fair share of annoying moments like the pointless piano-hitting around the twelfth minute of the first track is definitely irritating. This is a heavy duty Funeral Doom album that is no easy listening experience but one that I instantly hooked onto. I listen to the album 6 times the first day I got it because it has that quality that can be listened to in the background or cranked up for maximum sonic affect. Solitude Productions is the site to go to if you want to find out more about this band but good luck, I haven’t found a website, not even another review to find info on band members and so on. Obscure yes but a potential classic Funeral Doom album, only time will tell if they get the publicity they deserve.
Review
Deaf Sparrow
3\5
After their huge leap into the doom scene, Ea returned a few years later to release II. At this point, it’s clear that they’ve gotten more tuned to their instruments. The arrangements are more complex, and the production quality higher. However, the rawness of Ea Taesse was one of the things that made it so powerful, and the simplicity of the piano and organ was key. The clarity added to this release seems to have toned down the ‘funeralness’ of their sound. The drums now add some interesting fills to break the slowness and the guitars tend to stand out more, but one can’t help but recognize how similar everything is. Can you really do this for more than one album? It has some better moments, but Ea’s first release still trumps this one.
Author: Arkus