eySaw
Drinkin From The Hourglass
7
eySaw hail from good ol’ Manchester, England, but based on their music you’d think that they had been Southern born and Southern bred right here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. Yes, these Brits favor the sounds of those NOLA swamp-dwellers over all else. They’ve gone so far as to create a logo that combines the Union Jack with the Confederate flag. Somewhere, people on both sides are highly offended. One thing about Southern Rock/Metal though is that it is inherently Southern, with a spirit that is hard if not impossible to capture by outsiders. So, let’s take a look at their Drinkin’ From the Hourglass demo and see how well they’ve done.
After a fuzzed-out, feedback-intensive intro, “Drinkin’ From the Hourglass” comes along and shows that, yes, the band has captured the NOLA feel, specifically Corrosion of Conformity and Down, with a vocalist that sounds like he shares a DNA strain or two with one Philip H. Anselmo – without the Southern drawl, of course. “Edge of the War” keeps the vibe going with lots of groove but a more intense, guttural vocal. The four track demo ends with “Doomslodge,” which is significant for two reasons. First, it is the most in-line with the Southern metal thing they’re going for, and could almost pass for an outtake from Over The Under. Second, it is the best produced track here, sounding like it may have been recorded in a different session than the rest of the demo. Now, demos are notorious for bad production – hence the use of the word ‘demo’ – so I hate to harp on it here but I just can’t help it. The guitars sound muddy, the drums sound thin, and the bass sounds flat, and it’s this overall sound that really holds it back for me.
Still, eySaw should be commended for Drinkin’ From the Hourglass simply because they captured such a unique regional vibe despite never setting foot there. I can’t imagine that a Russian group could craft a believable bluegrass album, or that a bunch of Yanks would even attempt a J-Pop album. The new songs posted on eySaw’s MySpace page sound even better than anything on this demo so you know they’re heading in the right direction. Watch out, Rednecks – the Red Coats are comin’, and they want your beer.
