Eyeless In Gaza - Act I: The Protagonist

Solitude Productions is well known for signing on lots of underground and upcoming doom bands that have tons of potential, so new artists are always worth checking out on that label. Eyeless In Gaza is a one man group from Armenia that knows how to deliver sorrow and thoughtful darkness in epic proportions while crushing the soul with a rather clean sound. Usually one would expect crashing guitar waves with plodding drums and a distortion fog so thick one has to keep their mouth closed not to choke, but on the debut “Act I….” which is certainly a prelude to new work main man Franklin Avetisyan delivers four tracks of uncompromising doom with plenty of variation in between so it doesn’t feel stale. It does take patience to stomach a lot of the tracks but it is worth it.

The opening track is the first testament to pushing doom standards. 20 minutes is a lot to sit through and even most seasoned doom listeners are used to 7 or even 12 minutes so one really needs to be invested to enjoy a full 20. Eyeless In Gaza does greet one with the standard gloomy opening of plucked guitar and dreary synth in the background like most atmospheric or melodic gothic doom bands would before charging into the heavier churning riffs with snarled vocals that could appeal to those who like black or death metal. Vocalist and instrumentalist Franklin Avetisyan carries himself through the piece with melodies and tones that would make any fan of Swallow the Sun interested and also injects some rather uplifting clean vocals as well which seem to contrast the overall doom tone, but works well for a more progressive and atmospheric touch. The pace is rather slow though, so some listeners might feel the track drags on as it alternates between the heavier and melodic sections, but it all blends together well. The lyrics certainly evoke feelings of despair, but it is thoughtful despair and not whiny and over dramatic like some might feel when hearing some of the more overdone My Dying Bride tracks that exist out there.

Once one is able to stomach the 20 minutes the rest of the album feels like a cake walk. ‘Maelstrom’ is more melodic doom with a lot more synth presence and less heavier bits, but compared to the first track feels little bland and less progressive. Even the harsher sections feel a little forced. The track feels more instrumental with lots of softer moments which showcase the simpler, yet effective side of Eyeless In Gaza without using much of the heavy distortion to add to the weight of the music. This sentiment is continued with ‘Madrigal’ which is void of any vocal work and just features very simple guitar work over a backdrop of rain. Oddly enough it feels like the weakest track on the album because it lacks a large portion of the elements heard on previous tracks that helped Eyeless stand out between the longer lengths of music.

Listeners may feel that the album tends to run a bit short even with the long tracks sandwiched in, but “Act I: The Protagonist” is an interesting listen and welcome to those who appreciate doom or death doom. It isn’t as heavy as some of Solitude Production’s counterparts like Helllight or Alley but features lots of heavy and soft moments with plenty of melody and vocal variation. It won’t feel like a crushing funeral doom album but the crush will come from the lyrics that are more easily understood during the cleaner sections. Eyeless In Gaza show it doesn’t need heavy distortion to make a doom album effective.

4 / 5 STARS 

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1. The Protagonist
2. Maelstrom
3. Mournful Unconcern
4. Madrigal