Wall of the Eyeless - Through Emptiness [2011 DEMO]

One probably wouldn't guess at the sight of the mind-bending, abstract, and rather awesome cover art that a raw and heavy wall of death metal hid behind it. However, Wall of the Eyeless (kudos on the name) doesn't follow the 90s low-fi tribute wave that so many of these genre bands have been drifting effortlessly upon as of late. Through Emptiness is a fascinating and promising demo that isn't afraid to deliver some surprises and progressive elements; and while its general heaviness isn't to be questioned, this two-piece mixes the style up with free form structures and melodic flourishes.

Through Emptiness moves in mostly mid-paced and sometimes slower speeds, capturing an epic mood appropriate for the music herein. Alongside the more traditional riffs, the songs feature acoustic guitar galore, often focusing on passages of instrumental elegance rather than vocal-driven, pummeling rhythms. Some of the more droning and repetitive guitar parts would give off an essence of black metal if it were not for the deep, bellowing growls of SL, the talented head honcho here who also provides bass and guitar duties. The drums are par for the course: simplistic, but not distractingly so, and effective overall. Nothing here will blow your mind with overt technicality, but the band shows a flair for good songwriting and diverse influences.

With four tracks at twenty-four minutes, Through Emptiness would already make a fully functional EP even in its demonstrative state. I think a cleaner production may suit the lighter parts of this release, but that's not much of a fair criticism considering the fact that this is a demo, and a debut one at that. Personally, seeing a few more hooks and really memorable parts here would have been nice, because even though the group definitely provokes thought while listening, much of this demo will not haunt the memory for long. However, Wall of the Eyeless is still a vision of considerable promise that I'd like to hear more from.

   Overall: 7.25/10 (Cool)