Terhen
Eyes Unfolded
6.5
Eyes Unfolded is the debut EP from Finnish doomsters Terhen. The name Terhen is taken from an old Finnish word for “fog” which basically encapsulates the band’s sound: gray, bleak, cold, and vaporous. That said, the band definitely sounds like many of their contemporary countrymen (Swallow the Sun, Shape of Despair, etc.), yet add enough of their own touch to be distinguishable. They certainly feel right at home on the Firebox label.
The EP is a mere five tracks yet runs nearly an hour with the shortest song coming close to eight minutes. As you might have expected, a majority of the album plods along at slow, even paces with thin, but natural atmospherics that give the disc a dark, somber feeling. These brooding parts are accented by heavily distorted, chugging guitar riffs and dense, deep growling that is occasionally layered with higher-end screaming to nice effect. There really isn't a whole lot of deviation from that basic formula, but there are only five songs herein, so they don't blend together too badly. Some clean female vocals find their way into the mix on rare occasion, and while I feel they are unnecessary, they are passable and don’t get the “skip” finger itching too bad.
Eyes Unfolded is an above average effort on all fronts, and the long, somber atmospheric segues utilize unique tones and have an understated sort of beauty to them that helps give Terhen some of their own identity versus more the robust synths of like-minded Swallow the Sun. In other words, this will appeal to fans of the genre but lacks the fireworks that would get it noticed by listeners across the board.
