REVIEW: Eyes of Munity – “Courage” (2013)
Artist: Eyes of Munity [Facebook]
Album: “Courage”
Tracklist:
- Intro
- Broken
- Imperfections
- Final Arrival
- A New Start
- Glory Hunter
- Solid Pride
- Introjection
- As Kings
- Interlude
- Scriptures
- Lost
- Warriors
- Tides
- Courage
- Limitless
- Outro
Rising from the ashes of the band Upon Depths of Despair in early two-thousand and ten, the Surrey, UK band Eyes of Munity are a five-piece metalcore band, though they don’t always stick to this “genre,” at times breaking the bounds and limits of this title. “Courage” is the successor to the band’s two already released EP’s, “Anchor the Fall” and “From Oceans to Mountains,” and is also quite a step-up from these as well. With “Courage,” I believe Eyes of Munity are trying to push as much content, and as much well put-together content as they possibly can, what with its seventeen track tracklisting. Well, without much more hold-up, here’s my review of Eyes of Munity’s “Courage”:
The Good:
This album shows some actual talent and practice; these boys put their time, thoughts and feelings all into this record. With quick, gripping melodies and smooth guitar work, this album is quite the find. The guitars hit hard, as well, giving a good mixture of both soft and heavy, not forcing the listener to go through nothing but constant beatdowns or constant ambient and soft sound; although, when this band delivers ambiance, oh boy does it. With their melodies, I have no complaints – all well delivered, and the way the sound echoes and creates ambiance around you is almost magical. This is a band reminiscent of others such as Heart of a Coward and Elitist, delivering both a “djent”-esque sound and soft, dropping melodies that pull you right back into the song, as if you’re right there “in the music.”
The Bad:
At times, the guitars can get a bit repetitive – this really can’t be a big complaint, I mean, chugs are chugs of course, but sometimes it sounds like the same chug and same breakdown from song to song; I do not mean to discredit the band, though, by any means, because their guitarist can show quite a good lot of talent, but repetition is repetition, no changing that. Also, the vocals, both, can at times get a bit stale – the screaming has a tendency, at some points, to sound as if the vocalist is straining himself, forcing the sound out. The clean vocals, though rare, are quite good though, but in just a few songs – I don’t know if it’s the production or just the vocals – sound way too off, much too whiny and “pre-pubescent” sounding (ex. “A New Start”), though this could also just be the sound they’re going for, but I digress.
Overall:
This is not a bad album, by any means; it’s obvious that a lot of hard work and effort was put into this, and many emotions were written in between the lines. These boys poured their hearts and all they had into this, and for that I congratulate them. Still, flaws are flaws, but keep in mind this album had very few flaws, and the flaws in it aren’t “eternal” – the flaws aren’t shown in the entirety of the album, they’re very rare but still obvious.
Stand-Out Track:
“Limitless”: The most technical track of the album, “Limitless” shows the extent, one can only assume, of Eyes of Munity’s technical abilities, even opening up with some excellent guitar work. Though, this song does have a few heavy hits, and when I say heavy – I mean it. The breakdowns are so juicy and luring, only giving this song more of an attraction to listeners.
Closing:
This is Eyes of Munity’s first real “full length,” and they’ve hit the nail on the head. They set out to record a good album, and they did just that. Sure, it had its flaws, but all albums do. It’s just something you can’t escape, but the important thing is learning from those flaws! The flaws here were scarce, as rare as could be, but next time around, I’m sure those, and all other bits of the album, will be improved tenfold, if not more. “Courage” released on January third, and is available for free through a link on the band’s Facebook page. Give this album a listen, and enjoy!
Rating: 9/10
For Fans Of: Elitist, Heart of a Coward, For Today
