Middian - Age Eternal
Metal Blade Records - March 23rd, 2007
By Michael Koger
Like any good stoner/doom/sludge band, Middian's Age Eternal is an album that has an overwhelming effect on the listener. At times the listener may feel isolated, defeated, uneasy and perhaps slightly insane. The album is immense; 5 tracks clocking in at 57 minutes. This is a hell of a listen. Albums like this should come packed with a warning label: Not for the weak.
The three lads that form Middian hail from Eugene, Oregon. Out of the ashes of YOB, Mike Scheidt decided to soldier on with a new band and new blood. This being Middian's first album, they have set the bar for themselves pretty high. The album opens with 'Dreamless Eye'. Indeed, the song along with the cover art of an evil eye filled with runes, zodiac signs and roman numerals set against a starry sky in an eye conjures up the image of a mad astronomer or astrologist who has been awake for days pouring over documents and has finally stumbled across some horrible epiphany. The clean vocals are haunting and mix well with the growled and shouted vocals. Mike Scheidt banging away on his guitar while howling, "there is no where no where to hide/dreamless open lidless eye".
And that's just the first song.
'The Blood of Icons' and 'Age Eternal' are both very similar tracks. They start off with lonely guitar intros, and then like a harsh blizzard wind as you open the door and step outside, the distortion and other instruments come crashing down on you after two minutes of false calm. Again, Scheidt's vocals provide no comfort and only remind you that you are alone in this universe. The songs hypnotic, often repeating passages for ten minutes only to witness slight variation as they dwindle and return you to the safety of the clean, single guitar intro. Clocking in at a little over six minutes, 'The Celebrant' is the shortest track on the album. There is no nice intro to establish a comfort level, instead we are presented with the evil tritone intro and mid tempo pace. It ends relatively abruptly as the mammoth fifteen minute closer, 'Sink to the Center', moves in for the final kill. It is slow and unrelenting. Notes that seem to go on forever pummel you over the head just as you think the last one has stopped ringing. As the song begins to fade out, voices echo, the instruments fade away, and the listener is left hollow by the experience.
I'm not really one for putting myself into uneasy and awkward positions, but Middian's Age Eternal is an experience that can be relived again and again with pleasure.
Official Middian Website
Middian on Myspace
Official Metal Blade Records Website
Metal Blade Records - March 23rd, 2007
By Michael Koger
Like any good stoner/doom/sludge band, Middian's Age Eternal is an album that has an overwhelming effect on the listener. At times the listener may feel isolated, defeated, uneasy and perhaps slightly insane. The album is immense; 5 tracks clocking in at 57 minutes. This is a hell of a listen. Albums like this should come packed with a warning label: Not for the weak.
The three lads that form Middian hail from Eugene, Oregon. Out of the ashes of YOB, Mike Scheidt decided to soldier on with a new band and new blood. This being Middian's first album, they have set the bar for themselves pretty high. The album opens with 'Dreamless Eye'. Indeed, the song along with the cover art of an evil eye filled with runes, zodiac signs and roman numerals set against a starry sky in an eye conjures up the image of a mad astronomer or astrologist who has been awake for days pouring over documents and has finally stumbled across some horrible epiphany. The clean vocals are haunting and mix well with the growled and shouted vocals. Mike Scheidt banging away on his guitar while howling, "there is no where no where to hide/dreamless open lidless eye".
And that's just the first song.
'The Blood of Icons' and 'Age Eternal' are both very similar tracks. They start off with lonely guitar intros, and then like a harsh blizzard wind as you open the door and step outside, the distortion and other instruments come crashing down on you after two minutes of false calm. Again, Scheidt's vocals provide no comfort and only remind you that you are alone in this universe. The songs hypnotic, often repeating passages for ten minutes only to witness slight variation as they dwindle and return you to the safety of the clean, single guitar intro. Clocking in at a little over six minutes, 'The Celebrant' is the shortest track on the album. There is no nice intro to establish a comfort level, instead we are presented with the evil tritone intro and mid tempo pace. It ends relatively abruptly as the mammoth fifteen minute closer, 'Sink to the Center', moves in for the final kill. It is slow and unrelenting. Notes that seem to go on forever pummel you over the head just as you think the last one has stopped ringing. As the song begins to fade out, voices echo, the instruments fade away, and the listener is left hollow by the experience.
I'm not really one for putting myself into uneasy and awkward positions, but Middian's Age Eternal is an experience that can be relived again and again with pleasure.
Official Middian Website
Middian on Myspace
Official Metal Blade Records Website
