ALBUM REVIEW: Through Life And Death – Eyes Wide Open

The mind is a complex yet funny thing. It controls how we function on the most primary of levels. It also manipulates us with difficult emotions. Tackling just some of those sentiments, EYES WIDE OPEN release their new album Through Life And Death. The follow up to 2019’s The Upside Down, Through Life And Death is the Swedish modern metal group’s fifth album. With this record, the band seek to take elements of death metal, metalcore, and melodeath and cram them into ten tracks.

EYES WIDE OPEN waste little time in immersing us within their desolate world. World On Fire’s brooding notes dance like the flames of the apocalypse. These subtle twinkles soon become a blistering inferno, pounding drums exploding like spiralling synapses. As the instrumental comes to a sudden stop, EYES WIDE OPEN have us on tenterhooks waiting to explore their broken souls.

“Stand up, scream out” yells Erik Engstrand on Devastation, an ode to the mental and emotional impact a mental illness can have on a person. Kristofer Strandberg’s transitional riffs soar above the instrumentals before feeding into a chug which elicits a groan of appreciation. There is a lot to appreciate about this band. The broiling nature of Lucas Freise’s drums within Devastation is scintillating to listen to. Burn ‘Em’s uplifting message of being able to overcome adversities finds the positive within any negative thought. A song written despite personal demons, “I don’t wanna waste another tear” slices through us. EYES WIDE OPEN create a wonderful anthology of misery.

In saying this, though, there are some instances where they fall short. Fall Out’s breakdown doesn’t quite make the impact it was hoping to. The crunch in Strandberg’s riffs is almost there, yet it feels a little damp underfoot. Recent single End Of Days steeps in an infusion of melodeath and metalcore, yet suffers with pacing issues when trying to juggle both. Engstrand’s meaty growl sits upon a throne of a slow, sometimes jarring, transition. As the song grinds to a halt, End Of Days’ discombobulating interlude ramps up into faster rendition of its resounding chorus. The speed in which it snaps hits us like the cold water we seem to be mentally drowning ourselves in.

The difficult thing in making an album pertaining to mental health is needing to avoid making material which completely tunes into the mind-numbing frequency of an unwell mind. It’s unfortunate, then, that EYES WIDE OPEN find themselves circling that drain. Wildfire, in particular, falls into the predictable formula of metalcore; verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus, fin. Starting out with a galloping riff trampling over hummingbird drums, Wildfire had the potential to match the ferocity of its name. Yet knowing what this fire is going to offer us brings it down from roaring flame to glowing ember.

Where there is darkness, there is always light. The title track is a battle cry for us to rally and fight against our demons. “It’s kill or be killed” Engstrand growls across the battlefield. We become united in our misery as we join the rabble, screaming along to “through life and death we stumble”. The fight against life’s tribulations may be hard at times, but this song is determined to remind their fans they’re not alone during the dark times. Eraser on the other hand wants to be left alone. It isn’t the support circle they want to be separated from however, it’s their dark passenger. Synths and a muted guitar set the tone for what pans out to be a very melancholy song. EYES WIDE OPEN scream to be saved from their variation of rock bottom and their “nihilistic war”. Eraser is a truly haunting song with small pockets of heavy riffs that will echo through our ears for a while to come.

Through Life And Death is a solid effort from the quartet. Yet there are moments where this metal band becomes restrained by their subject matter, trapped within the glass box those with mental afflictions deal with themselves. Perhaps this is what makes the album as relatable as it is, but it also puts a barrier between us and them, one we want to see erased.

Rating: 7/10

Through Life And Death is set for release on November 12th via Arising Empire.

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