Eagle Twin
The Unkindness of Crows
Southern Lord
For a music that bears such a bone-deep resemblance to so many facets of the blues (wailin’ about yer problems, dirt-caked one-string drone, sociopathic preoccupation with the contents of your navel), much modern doom metal is as stripped free of blues influence as first generation krautrock. Not so with Eagle Twin. The duo of Gentry Densley (vocals, guitar) and Tyler Smith (drums) is steeped in the same muck as hypnotic bluesmen like Junior Kimbrough, the high lonesome sound of the Stanley Brothers, and the fucked up rumble of the Birthday Party (and of course, the Melvins and Weedeater).
The Unkindness of Crows is, frankly, heavy as fuck, and Eagle Twin holds its own when sharing stages with the likes of Sunn 0))) and Pelican. But they’re not averse to a good, grimy, down-and-out Delta drone here and there. Despite the relative paucity of members – the only other doom duos that spring to mind right now are Om and Dark Castle – they kick up an unholy mantra all on their own. Whenever you think you know what part is coming next (and to be fair, a savvy doom listener can hum most of the riffs in his head before they even happen), Eagle Twin keeps taking these stylistic left turns. Smith’s drumming is bestial and subtle in turns – Keith Moon-like fills have the floor yanked out from under them and it’s only the solitary crash of a cymbal, like an erratic heartbeat. Gentry’s singing is a deep, ancient croak, full-on crossroads blues meets Buzzo psychosis and the guitar playing is all granite column riffery (their guitar tone is ridiculously heavy, like labored breathing), seeped in Link Wray’s rumble and twang. There are times when it’s so low, it has nowhere else to go.
Southern Lord: http://www.southernlord.com
