ALBUM REVIEW: II. Eternal Meditations Of A Deathless Crown – Bones Of The Earth
Hardcore and doom metal don’t go together do they? Perhaps not at first glance, but when you think about it there are a few bands for whom both those shoes fit to an extent. There was a time, for example, where some would have applied either label to the pioneering post-metal of the likes of NEUROSIS or ISIS. More recently, one could almost certainly pick out elements of both in CONJURER’s melting pot of musical extremity. Another group who obviously think the two genres aren’t as many worlds apart as some might suggest is the Arkansas-based trio BONES OF THE EARTH. Much like the respected names mentioned, you could probably label the results, presented on their second full-length, II. Eternal Meditations Of A Deathless Crown, as post-metal, but the band call it hardcore/doom, so here we are.
As its title suggests, Eternal Meditations… is something of a sequel. Specifically, it picks up the story of the band’s 2019 debut, I. The Imminent Decline Of Human Spirit. That record told a very 2001: A Space Odyssey-esque story of human development and the replacement of the organic with the artificial. This time, we re-join the protagonist in the cold grey world of steel and machinery he constructed on Imminent Decline…. Over the course of this one however, he realises what he has built – and what he has lost – and supposedly attempts to return to his humanity. Concepts like these are often quite hard to follow, and Eternal Meditations… is no exception. That said, BONES OF THE EARTH do a good job of capturing a distinctly dystopian feel on the record, and definitely take their listeners on a journey.
We enter the record’s bleak sci-fi landscape via its instrumental intro track, entitled Decline. Here, ominous synths and swells set the scene before guitarist Erik Ebsen opens things up with some proggy riffing. The rhythm section soon join him for a short, sludgy jam which ends with resounding, crushing doom. It’s a good start, comfortably topped by the album’s thunderous second track, Machine Rising. This flits all over the place, with sludge-caked post-metal interrupted by bursts of panicked hardcore. Bassist Raif Box and drummer Cody Martin both handle vocal duties, and both are solid. One of them has a powerful bellow reminiscent of NEUROSIS‘ Scott Kelly, while the other’s more tortured stylings sit well with the band’s more chaotic side.
Machine Rising runs along with a punishing energy, and sees Ebsen throw up more proggy lead parts in its second half. Eventually, it fades to Inception-style synth blasts, and the band slam straight into third track Peaceseeker. As with many concept records, there’s definitely a good flow to proceedings. For the most part, the songs move into one another smoothly, and contain plenty of dynamic peaks and troughs. This is an obvious result of the fact that BONES OF THE EARTH composed Eternal Meditations… with the intention of it being performed as a complete work from start to finish.
By the halfway mark, it’s clear BONES OF THE EARTH aren’t all that interested in sticking to any one genre. This is something we should always applaud, but not all of it lands on Eternal Meditations…. For example, fourth track Inoperable – another instrumental – plays as a more mid-paced bluesy piece. It does feature some decent doomy riffing in its second half, but definitely struggles to keep attention.
Fortunately, the band get things back on track for the album’s final couple of songs. The Empire That Never Ended and Reclamation both feel like a return to the stronger territory of Machine Rising. These are both longer and more dynamic pieces, each falling just shy of the eight-minute mark. The former features several quieter passages amid hefty riffing and bursts of the savagery we heard earlier. The latter reaches a powerful and emotional crescendo before granting its listeners a few moments to breathe with a final minute of soundscapes and atmospherics.
Eternal Meditations… clocks in with a relatively short runtime of 34 minutes. In all honesty though, it feels longer. This is likely down to the sheer amount of ideas BONES OF THE EARTH manage to cram into it. Some of these work better than others, but it’s hard not to admire the band’s vision at the very least. While a little more focus would probably help on future releases, there are enough highs here to make Eternal Meditations… a record that definitely bears repeated listening.
Rating: 7/10
II. Eternal Meditations Of A Deathless Crown is set for release on April 2nd via self-release.
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