Since their formation in 2011, lots of genre tags have been thrown at Salt Lake City’s Eidola, and it’s to their credit that none of them have stuck. An eclectic mixture of post-hardcore, progressive metal and math rock, this quintet are a beacon of originality that’s burning brightly (and defiantly). Album number five finds the band at the top of their game and delivering a confident record in Eviscerate that should turn Eidola from the world’s “best kept secret” into the world’s biggest band.

As the album’s title alludes, Eviscerate promises to be a heavy album and once we get past the discombobulating introduction (a mixture of Gregorian chanting and political sloganeering), heaviness is what’s delivered. However, as you’d expect from a band who deftly evade easy categorisation, Eidola paint their sound from a large palette and, subsequently, bold splashes of colour are juxtaposed with subtle pastel shades and the result is a record that constantly evolves and doesn’t stay in one sonic space for long. It’s a trick that only certain bands can pull-off, but Eidola have a signature sound throughout the flux as quiet sections nestle next to the cataclysmic and gruff vocals are contrasted with the clean, whilst ethereal pop sections are paired with crushing metal. With the lyrical threads running throughout, Eviscerate has the feel of a concept album and there’s “bleeding” between the tracks and the motifs introduced on the opener will reappear, ensuring that no matter in what guise the band appear, Eviscerate remains a cohesive listen.

For the past decade Eidola have doggedly stuck to their vision, refusing to be constrained by any expectations, and that determination has started to pay dividends now. It’s a route travelled which ensures Eidola are built for the long haul; Eviscerate isn’t a sugar rush of an album, rather it releases its goodness in a steady stream, and over the course of (lucky) thirteen tracks. Yet, there’s always a desire to move forwards and experiment, and for this record the band worked with new producer Mike Sahm. His wide, expansive production has given Eidola plenty of scope to explore new ideas; the seven string guitars and drop tunings are the perfect vehicle with which to delve into subjects such as hatred, despair and grief, and when adhered to the truly violent sound found on cuts like ‘Fistful Of Hornets’ and ‘Golgotha Compendium – Fifth Temple’ you have an album that draws the listener towards their beckoning, swirling, internal void.

It’s argued that turbulent times make for turbulent music, and if proof were ever needed here’s Eviscerate.

• Eviscerate is released via Blue Swan/Rise Records on 12th April 2024.
• Official Website

Track List:

1. Atman- An Introduction To Suffering
2. A Bridge Of Iron And Blood
3. No Weapon Formed Shall Prosper
4. Who Of You Will Persevere
5. The Weight Of Sin
6. He Who Pulls The Strings Ties A Knot
7. Fistful Of Hornets
8. God Takes Away Everything
9. Ziggurat
10. Ashes In Gehinnom
11. Golgotha Compendium- Fith Temple
12. Kali Yuga
13. Ecclesiastes- The Burden Of Wisdom