Echoes of Eternity
The Forgotten Goddess
8.3
Towards the end of 2005, I was disappointed to learn that Stockholm melo-thrash outfit Amaran had broken up. Their particular brand of melodic but aggressive thrash/death riffing working with a female vocalist (and by that I mean a singing vocalist) was fairly unusual and extremely enjoyable, and they had no immediate peers or successors to replace them. It appears that has changed with the full-length debut from Los Angeles’ Echoes of Eternity. Through relying on a slightly sturdier and more aggressive thrash foundation, this act is very much of the same mold as Amaran and will satisfy those who lament that band’s passing.
Though most bands who put out their debut album on Nuclear Blast these days aren’t worth writing home about, Echoes of Eternity’s quick intro to the big leagues reflects on their professionalism and ability. The Forgotten Goddess is a taut, mature metal album through and through. The songwriting here is very much of the early Metallica/Megadeth school of lengthy verse/chorus rock songs tricked out with tons of intros, bridges, breaks, and solos. Sam Young and Brandon Patton’s guitar work has a crunchy, harmony-heavy melodeath edge, but their triplet-addicted riffing seems more rooted in thrash than anything else. Patton also puts his soloing chops on display with relative frequency; though he clearly has ability, the man is wise enough to keep his leads brief and rely on riff-writing to carry the music. Drummer Kirk Carrison helps to establish the aggressive tone of the music with his intensive double bass and willingness to push the songs into faster tempos (opener “Expressions of Flesh” being perhaps the best example). For her part, Francine Boucher is a capable and entertaining frontwoman. Her voice possesses a certain airy, ethereal quality that lends a slightly gothic flavor to the music, but fortunately it actually works as effective counterpoint to the busy riffing most of the time. A clean but slightly treble-heavy production from Eric Ryan wraps it all up in a nice, palatable package.
Though Echoes of Eternity don’t fall immediately into any particular metal subgenre, The Forgotten Goddess should please a number of different interests. Looking for some angelic singing and catchy, dramatic choruses? Craving some sweet technical thrash riffing? Missing Amaran? This should hit the spot.
