Eyes Upon Separation I Hope She's Having Nightmares

This is definitely one of the more interesting releases we've heard recently. On this, their debut full-length, Eyes Upon Separation have progressed greatly from their previous effort, an EP on Tribunal Records. Most of the descriptions you will read about this release compare the band to Dillinger Escape Plan or Botch. There are some definite similarities, but more than enough distinctions to prevent EUS from sounding like just another Botch rip-off. At times, they most certainly do display the technical math-metal pioneered by the aforementioned bands, dropping plenty of meticulously crafted shards of grating blast beats. And of course they've got the tortured vocals, typically of the increasingly popular raspy-raw-throat variety. Vocalist Brandon Smith does manage to change things up a bit though, with some cleanly delivered spoken-word type lines. The CD comes out firing on all cylinders, with the 1000-changes-in-one song, "It Must Be Take A Worm For A Walk Week," an admirable display of sheer technicality, incendiary prog-metal (ala Converge), and plenty of double-bass flourishes and guitar wizardry. Eyes Upon Separation are most certainly a force to be reckoned with musically speaking, as everyone in the band seems to have impressive chops. Things continue accordingly for the next few tracks, with the band's true personality emerging more with each additional track. On "Tongue of Poison (the Angus Tragedy)," which previously appeared on the band's Tribunal EP, the band whips out some of their melodic abilities, which serve as a nice counterpoint to the song's brutal iterations of blazing metalcore. The record takes a surprising turn with the next track though. "They Took The 'r' Out Of New York" finds the band pulling out some experimental stuff, with spastic drums that fade in and promptly fade out, all layered up strange guitar runs and breaks. In their own little way, EUS nearly morphs into an intense jam-band of sorts. It isn't long before their back to the more focused stuff though, as "No. 5 With A Bullet" comes packed with off-kilter grooves and more of the band's ever-so-subtle melodic undertones. The production on the record is good, better than the EP. There's plenty of clear high-end stuff this time around, although the bottom-end could use a bit more punch. Some of the riffs on this record would be so much more powerful if only the low-end had been given additional presence in the mix. But overall, the engineering is competent and effective. Bottom Line: Fans of intense and precision metalcore will appreciate this record, with it's punishing and brutally deliberate attack. However, Eyes Upon Separation are not a one trick-pony, which becomes especially evident on tracks like the quirky "Program the Toy" (another track from the EP) and "1.21 Gigawatts", the album's most diverse track. I wouldn't be surprised if this record quickly propelled these guys to the forefront of today's metal and hardcore scene.