Metalcore Band EDEN EYES Release Debut EP [Singapore]

A year in the making, Singaporean metalcore act EDEN EYES has finally released their highly-anticipated debut EP ‘Half A Life’. The EP marks a watershed moment in the fledgling band’s short history, representing a move away from their past life as a school-based band playing heavy renditions of Top 40s songs in lecture theatres. Having carved a small reputation from themselves in Singapore’s underground scene, Eden Eyes takes a no-holds-barred approach as they delve deep into the universally relatable themes of grief, loss and heartbreak. They grant a unique, cathartic aggression to those aspects of the human experience, and in doing so, add a new, relentless dimension to Singaporean heavy music.

Departing from the polished, production-heavy modern metal that has thus far dominated the alternative music industry, ‘Half A Life’ oozes with rawness and unbridled ferocity. Mixed, mastered and co-produced by Islam Falmi of Darah fame, each track from the record displays a distinct sonic character, thought deftly weaved together into a seamless listening experience, through intentional songwriting, cross-song lyrical references, and dynamic production. Present throughout the record are the chirps and drones of cicadas, insects commonly heard in Singapore’s suburbs. ‘I always found that sound very lonely in a way. It’s something you hear on a hot midday afternoon and only notice when you’re alone and in your own thoughts – I wanted the entire EP to feel like that,’ says Russell, frontman, lyricist and producer of the band. Hues of death metal, thrash and even post-rock suffuse the EP, resulting in a sound that, by the band’s own admission, is ‘hard to classify yet unique in its own way’.

The opening track ‘Wasteland’ sets masterfully a moody atmosphere for the record. Sinister, deathcore-tinged soundscapes and vulnerable, cathartic lyrics grant the track a unique flavour amongst Eden Eyes’ oeuvre. Machine-gun drums and dark, evocative guitar work tied together with beastly vocals make this a powerful opener for the EP. A slowly-burning pre-breakdown pays off as vocalist Russell unleashes all manner of infernal fury, almost as if cursing while being dragged into hell, ‘if love could have saved me, I’d have died anyways’.

The second track and second single off the EP, ‘Interloper II’ bursts through with a distinct, modern metalcore sound that follows nicely from the relentless barrage offered by ‘Wasteland’. Featuring a virtuosic and now-iconic solo from guitarist Ethan, the track draws listeners in with its intricate riffage and dynamic composition. Having garnered critical acclaim and crossing a thousand streams on Spotify within its first week of release, ‘Interloper II’ finds a well-curated place in the EP, serving almost as a moment of palatable normalcy (as far as heavy music goes) as it transitions into the next, pummelling track.

Immediately starting with a caustically-screamed ‘born to lose’ from Russell accompanied with Knocked Loose-esque guitars, the third track, aptly-titled ‘Sisyphean’, makes a bold statement. It is by this moment that you know the band means business, as they show no signs of giving listeners a break. A chant-worthy chorus with old-school sensibilities guarantees ‘Sisyphean’ a song crowds will sing along to. With tempo and time signature changes aplenty, much tension is set up in the track’s proverbial second act as it ebbs and flows, culminating in a masterful musical and lyrical transition back into the song’s final chorus, just before a titanic breakdown that might arguably be the heaviest on the record.

Debut single and fourth track ‘Gangrene’ elaborates on the themes of self-aware defeatism and hopelessness through its lyrics, with commensurately hard-hitting instrumentation to bolster its heaviness. Breakdowns abound in the track, with multiple time-signature changes and jarring dynamic shifts engendering a sense of unease in listeners, supplementing to the thematic journey taken throughout the record. Coupled alongside aggressive drum parts, heavy drop-tuned guitars and beyond-harsh vocals, ‘Gangrene’ leaves audiences disoriented, but headbanging to its undeniably catchy parts which are bolstered by poignant, sing-along-able callbacks to the EP’s title in its chorus. A final breakdown appealing to beatdown and hardcore sensibilities wraps off the track as it seamlessly transitions into a brief moment of stillness amidst the maelstrom of brutality.

A ‘filler track’ by the band’s own admission, ‘the final act of love’ is anything but. With shimmering yet melancholic clean guitars, the track creates an atmosphere of longing and loss, bolstered by the sense of loneliness evoked by the salient droning of cicadas throughout. Sampled dialogue from the film ‘500 Days (Of Summer)’ serve the track’s romantic yet sad overtones, with the last line ‘it just wasn’t me you were right about’ hitting in the gut just as the track ends. With an ethereal and wistful quality to it and without a word uttered from Russell, the track serves as a quiet yet poignant reminder that the final act of love is indeed, letting go.

The titular track off the EP serves as a fitting coda to the release. Continuing the melancholic guitars established in the previous track, ‘Half A Life’ burns gradually into explosive, ferocious riffage as Russell lays his heart bare for listeners, with lines such as ‘I clench my knuckles white, fingers coiled round the ghost of your hand in mine’. Evocative lead guitar lines shine through the rest of the song, creating an emotional atmosphere as the vocals, which, instead of displaying technical ability, shifts gears into showcasing raw, unfiltered heartbreak. The EP culminates in a climactic breakdown, where vocalist Russell unleashes a primal yet mournful fifteen-second scream that drives home the overarching themes of the record.

‘Half A Life’ cements Eden Eyes’ place in the local and regional alternative music scene as a band not to be slept on, as they reveal in full, unadulterated glory the nature of grief and all its accompanying pain, showing what it’s like to live half a life with twice the misery.

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