Eye of Solitude – Sui Caedere
Looking for symphonic funeral doom? In the case of Eye Of Solitude, you should be. These Britons bring the sadness and terror in equal measure on their second offering Sui Caedere (‘to kill oneself’). Beginning track ‘Awoken by Crows’ opens expertly with engaging and clear throatwork riding parallel with guitars melancholic and melodious, bookended by keys that fill the rest of the aural space with an unyielding tension. The tempo in this song stays where it should for doom, but Eye Of Solitude aren’t afraid of incorporating, in this aria and others across the album, rolling double-bass between the spans of snare hits. In the closing minutes of ‘Totem of a Pagan Thought’, in fact, there is no ‘span’ at all – blastbeats emerge in a disEMBOWELMENT-nod, but as such aren’t jarring. And the riffs, while never leaving the arena of sorrow they inhabit, are also DM speed at times – unsurprisingly so, as main creative force Daniel Neagoe also helms London-based death metal band Unfathomable Rumination.
But it isn’t until track two that the intent of Sui Caedere is laid bare. In ‘The Haunting’, an ambient, yet menacing piano line signals that which is to come – a lamentation at its finest. Yearning guitar lines beg for mercy that will not be given, synths resign themselves to a fate unavoidable, while Neagoe’s low roar gives false promise:
There’s no one here…
There’s nothing to fear.
But the music tells the truth. No respite will be found amongst these sounds. Death will come.
In funeral doom, outside elements, especially those symphonic in nature, can twist power toward melodrama. No such failings accompany the classical embellishments made here. Eye Of Solitude stirs their cauldron of sound deftly, allowing hints of all its musicians’ technical abilities to be glimpsed but not dwelt upon. Ambient passages, often accompanied by frightening samples, add to the aura without distracting. As mentioned before, occasional death metal trappings materialize – and with little to no preamble – but such riffs always disappear as quickly as they come. The band’s ability to pull in the tropes of disparate genres in such a subtle but successful manner solidifies the release as a whole, and ensures an interesting listen all the way through to the final and aptly-named piece ‘Departure’. Hail to these doom brethren across the pond. Eye Of Solitude are certainly one to watch. -Jim
-Kaotoxin
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