Legends of the Desert: Volume 4 featuring Eagle Twin & The Otolith (Album Review)

Release Date: September 20th 2024. Record Label: Desert Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Legends of the Desert: Volume 4 featuring Eagle Twin & The Otolith - Track Listing:

1. Eagle Twin - Horn Vs. Halo 11:39 video

2. Eagle Twin - Qasida of The Dark Doves 08:28

3. The Otolith - Crossway 08:53

4. The Otolith - Phosphene Dream 10:49

Review

Legends of the Desert: Volume 4 is the next exciting installment from Desert Records series of joint albums this time featuring Eagle Twin & The Otolith. This chapter sees both bands bring their own stylish and acclaimed take of Drone, Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal that’s quite different to each other. Both sets of tracks from each band lasts around twenty minutes with Eagle Twin being up first with their two tracks of Horn VS Halo and Qasida Of The Dark Doves.

Eagle Twin have been playing their down-tuned slice of Droned Out Americana since 2007 across acclaimed multiple releases and this sees the band get straight down to business of laying down pulsating progressive leaning Droned Out Fuzzed Up Sounds with their gruff trademark vocals to match. 

Their two tracks are the heaviest of the split and personally my favourite part of the album. As it has a heavy sludgy monolithic beat throughout both tracks where the music is vividly melodic with the down-tuned aggressive pastures that results in heavy destructive grooves with quite an organic delivery as well. 

The Psychedelic Fuzzy Instrumental passages have a more dramatic Post-Metal sound compared to their previous releases but it’s the grizzled and gruffy vocals that is quintessential Eagle Twin territory and overlapping instrumental passages with a mighty air of distorted progressive metal holding everything together.

I have to admit that Qasida Of The Dark Doves has a more straightforward riff-centric style from Eagle Twin for the most part and I loved the screeching guitars that has similar themes to bands such as The Melvins and Mastodon in places but this is still classic EAGLE TWIN through and through.

Up next is The Otolith and they are more than capable for the challenge by delivering their own sublime tracks of Atmospheric Doom/Stoner Metal based folklore which has a more experimental delivery compared to Eagle Twin. I was blown away by their 2022 debut album Folium Limina and their two offerings of Crossway and Phosphene Dream carries on with a similar vivid sound with more emphasis on the folkier aspects of their lyrics with a brilliantly intense vocal performance from everyone involved.

The interplay between the sludgy instrumental sounds and traditional instruments such as Violin and Piano is a joy to behold that appears within Crossway leaving me quite dumbfounded once again at how spectacularly heavy The Otolith can be whilst bringing a Classical Music element to their overall sound. There are echoes of Drone and Ambient delivery within the hidden Post-Rock flow which allows their music to have a more dramatic and progressive feeling compared to Eagle Twin.

Legends of the Desert: Volume 4 is going from strength-to-strength with each passing release but this is perhaps their heaviest and finest release to date with two bands at the top of their creative powers. This is forty one minutes of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal perfection which showcases two highly different bands to each other but delivering a split record of the highest order. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Desert Bloom PR for the promo.

Legends of the Desert: Volume 4 is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Desert Records.

Eagle Twin Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

The Otolith Links

Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram

Eagle Twin - The Thundering Heard (Album Review)

Release date: March 30th 2018. Label: Southern Lord Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Thundering Heard – Tracklisting

1.Quanah Un Rama 11:24

2.Elk Wolfv Hymn 08:21

3.Heavy Hoof 07:21

4.Antlers of Lightning 14:22

Line-Up

Tyler Smith - Drums

Gentry Densley - Vocals, Guitars

Review

Eagle Twin return after a six year absence with their epic sounding new album - The Thundering Herd. It's an album that sees Eagle Twin play to their absolute maximum strength by playing their trademark Drone/Doom sound with heavy elements of Psychedelic Sludge and Stoner Metal being added for extra potency.

Opening track - Quanah Un Rama - may have a slightly sounding mystical title but the music anything but with the band playing a down-tuned style of drone based Sludge/Stoner heavy riffs that will leave your hairs standing on end. The duo of Tyler Smith and Gentry Densley play a heavily wicked Drums and Guitar combination which has violent outbursts of melodic Psychedelic Sludge Rock. 

This album sees something that Eagle Twin sounding quite friendly in places with parts of the album very melodic whilst still remaining blissfully heavy as hell. The instrumental work is what stands out as the vocals only appear in brief moments on the opening track. Most of the songs run between eight minutes to fourteen minutes long. So don't go expecting Eagle Twin to give you an easy time of things. As they don't.

Second track - Ek Wolfv Hymn - opens at a much slower pace and less angrier tone than the opening track with the band playing an almost Post-Doom/Post-Rock melodic riff. Though the constant pounding drumming points to heavier moments and Eagle Twin don't disappoint. With the song adding gloomy atmospherics and that's thanks to the majestic vocals and cool lyrics. The song does gather momentum in both speed and volume with the drone based aspect adding a more volatile atmosphere.

The final two songs Heavy Hoof and Antlers Of Lightning are perhaps the best songs on the album with Eagle Twin playing a heavier style of Psychedelic Sludge/Doom Metal Riffs with a hint of drone based madness. The music drifts in so many directions that it can be hard to keep up at times but at least Eagle Twin keep the whole atmosphere of the album brutally heavy. With the heavy psychedelic parts allowing Eagle Twin's music to breathe more freely.

The lyrics can be very sly and humorous at times but matches the bleak sounds that the band excel at.

The final song - Antlers Of Lightning - runs past the fourteen minute mark and Eagle Twin play one final round of heavy distorted noises where the music remains firmly in the bleak sounding underbelly of heavy Sludge/Doom Metal riffs. The production on this album is fearless with the sound being constantly threatening and heavy from the start. Eagle Twin have never sounded so good.

The Thundering Herd is perhaps Eagle Twin's most complete album to date. If you're new to the world of Eagle Twin and want to see what all the fuss is about then this is the best place to start. Long-time fans will need to complete their Eagle Twin Record Collection with this must have album. The Thundering Herd is a delicious and dark violent audio treat.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Lauren at Rarely Unable PR for the promo. The Thundering Heard is now available to buy from Southern Lord Records on CD/DD/Vinyl.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp