Talbot - EOS

This a great album made by Magnus Andre on bass guitar, keys and vocals and Jarmo Nuutre on drums, programming and vocals which makes up a doom duo from Estonia. Very original within the context of doom metal, they have created something that should appeal to many types of doom metal fans out there. From Electric Wizard sounds to Sleep, Om, Zoroaster to sounds normally found on albums by Moss, Minsk and Kodiak. They have a psychedelic, space rock edge to their music that sets them apart from a lot of other bands especially with the vocals that range from the clean which come from Andre and guttural growls made by drummer Jarmo Nuutre. The band has already completed some tours and played at some big festivals including Estonia’s biggest indie-festival "Plink-Plonk". From the intro "Threshold" which leads nicely into the crushing "Cayenne", the band have a extremely damaging sound for a duo but they are also very multi-dimensional. Check out the track "Observer X", from space rock swirling sounds to some monolithic doom laden riffing, the song crosses over many heavy styles in its 8 minutes. The combination of melodic vocal styles and some grim, horror filled growls blends incredibly well adding to the other-worldly vibe of the track. Such originality is hard to find within the confines of a doom band so this makes this a unique doom metal experience. Songs flow into each other such as when "Observer X" moves into the title track, the change is hardly noticeable. In "Eos", the band switches in a mood that could be compared to the band "Tool", progressive, ambient and dramatic. Special mention must go to the bass playing which is excellent, always moving and becoming the main focus to a lot of their songs. "Combat Zen Speech" is a track that was released as a single and its also featured here, not surprising being such a monumental track. It builds from a throbbing bass line to a floating, ambient space, doom rock dirge providing a cosmic vibe. Driven by subtle but ever changing bass lines and rolling drum passages, it is the highpoint of the album. The last three minutes of the track feature some truly earth-shaking low notes but at the same time, the band doesn't depend on simply down-tuning for heaviness sake. The heaviness comes from the moods created by the songs themselves so they unique from that point of view. "The Van Of Pleasant Living" has a Pink Floyd spaced out vibe at first before another sonic slab of thumping doom riffage is unleashed which leads into the final track "Coach". This is one of the darkest, most apocalyptic tracks on the album and also one of the best cuts on this monster. It again has a spacey, cosmic vibe coming from the keys with growling vocals that sound haunting, menacing and slightly evil. There is great, swirling bass notes that gyrate the eardrums along with a middle section where the band hits the gas into a mid-tempo intensity, great stuff. For a DIY release, this is very professionally done, very well played and produced. There is also a strong emphasis on song craftsmanship so they have created something that can be listened to over and over again as you can hear something different each time you give it a spin. Its experimental but they don't lose track of what makes a good piece of music, its spacey but without sounding like another Hawkwind/Pink Floyd copy cat band. Nothing is recycled here, its just a solid album from a what i know is a fairly underground band outside of their home. Ambient, experimental, psychedelic, doom, stoner, space rock and sludge all rolled into one seamless package, the album is available from their websites. I suggest everyone check them out. 9/10

Official Website
Talbot@MySpace