CHOIRS OF THE EYE

Choirs of the Eye is an album that will be regarded as a masterpiece of experimental rock in years to come. This are more than just another post rock or prog metal album. It transcends any real musical genre other than the open ended experimental or progressive. Song structures, because of their abstract nature and unpredictability, make this a very difficult album. But that is part of the beauty of this album. You never know where each song is going to take you, except you know it's going to be one strange trip.

The music of Kayo Dot often jumps from atmospheric, classical influenced ambient pieces to intense trash metal attacks, with vocalist Toby Diver screaming violently but with an exotic atmosphere still maintained. Mind that there is no 'soft/loud, soft/loud' pattern being followed, something that many post-rock bands are guilty of. Kayo Dot somehow make their heavy assault part of the bizarre ambiance. Not a single note it wasted though, every noise and guitar strum adds something to the music.

Instruments like trumpets, french horns, violins, and cellos, as well as minimalistic guitar strumming and bizarre electronic noises are used to create ambiance. Often there are large spaces in the music but it never gets boring. Comparisons to Godspeed You! Black Emperor will often pop up and it makes sense. They are very similar bands, but I feel that Kayo do what GY!BE do much more effective. Kayo Dot depends less on pure atmosphere and more on the intricate musical interplay. Often the music takes on a very dark and even apocalyptic feel also, but Kayo Dot do this more effectively too.

Toby Diver's vocal style is very bizarre, varying from mumbling to spoken word poetry to screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs. Sometimes it sounds like he's chanting in some satanic tongue. He is anything but a conventional vocalist, with influences from Mike Patton very apparent. Sam Gutterman, drummer, does an amazing job at holding the music together. At one point he will be simply tapping the cymbal and at another he will be bashing it is with chaotic power, powering a violent noise assault on the listener.

To respect the masterpiece that is Choirs of the Eye you have to be very open minded not only to metal but to post rock, ambient music, and experimental music in general. At times the music will be too intense and dangerous for the average ambient fan, and too experimental for the average metal fan. There is no doubt that this is an inaccessible album that will take more than one listen to click. It's nothing like the prog music that made the charts in the 70's either, but it's definitely progressive music in the true sense of the word. I pretty much urge any music fans looking for an interesting and intense musical journey to check this album out. There's is no doubt that it's a masterpiece of experimental music.