Artist: Eyes Shut Tight
Title: Fairground Zero
Genre: Alternative / Metal / Rock
Release Date: 27th May 2011
Label: Danse Macabre
Album Review
When Kris persuaded D.W. (“Trashedsoul”) to start a band that would suit his artistic vision better than the band he played with at the time, they founded EYES SHUT TIGHT. They’re now following on their debut ‘Secret Destroyer’ with their sophomore effort ‘Fairground Zero’. Lyrically the songs draw on experiences of D.W. who is not only vocalist, but also quite adept on drums, and also an artist and a short-story writer. The experiences give you a shot of someone very intense and conflicted. There’s a constant theme of struggle, with self and the world. I can imagine it will appeal to a lot of disenfranchised, isolated, alienated people out there. There’s a lot of pain, angst, hurt, its resulting rage and existential pathos. But let’s not think that it’s Emo, the emotions expressed here have the backing of experience, and it’s not a pose. Well, that’s right up my street.
Sound-wise, it’s quite a fusion of trends, the beginning of the album mixes Metal and Punk in quite an original and striking way indeed - especially I would recommend listening to ‘Ordeal’. You get a feel of someone right at the edge, ready to explode with wrath that threatens to swallow everything; you can really put yourself in there whenever someone pissed you off to the end of your tether. You can’t even get judgemental towards its outspoken aggression as it speaks of ‘give me the right to kill’. You pretty well understand that much of this violence has always been inverted against the self within the protagonist. ‘Fortune Wheel’ - love the keyboards embalming the harsh riff in atmosphere, the half-sung and half-recited vocal is great, there are few surprising bursts of harder energy which soon turn back to the main theme.
By this time you’re well into the Gothic dark with shots of Industrial leading up to such an atmospheric and beautifully tender and yet intense song such as ‘Gone’ to be found as another highlight. The keyboards are indeed quite outstanding addition to that song. The music has a great pull. It’s quite difficult not to be affected; it’s quite a challenge not to sink into one’s own dark corners too. This is like a soundtrack of trauma, a sound to lure you into a gallery of the pain you might share. From ‘Gone’ three following songs were a bit of a torture chamber, where it became somewhat too much to be present within anymore, you just feel such pressure inside and out. ‘Why don’t you’ seems to come to meet that feeling and lashes it out in anger, yet one got a feeling that it’s a cry-out also. The last song, ‘Deep Sleep’, is a wonderful creepy and weird song.
An intense album, one you have to be in a mood for to get the most out of it. Certainly its welcomed aspect is its artistic rather than commercial leaning, authenticity and unique flavour of its vision. Definitely worth checking out.
Tracklist
01. Carousel – 3.33
02. Ordeal – 3.53
03. Night Without An End – 3.48
04. Fortune Wheel – 3.20
05. Useless – 4.37
06. Cabinet of mirrors – 3.46
07. Gone – 5.02
08. Forbidden – 5.01
09. Eat my fist – 3.18
10. Revenge – 3.48
11. Why don’t you – 5.36
12. Deep sleep – 4.05
Line-up
D.W. “Trashedsoul” – Vocals, lyrics
Kris – Guitar, lyrics
Jolene – Bass guitar
Goyathlay – Keyboards, vocals
d.P. – Drums
Websites
www.eyesshuttight.com / http://www.myspace.com/eyesshuttight7
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10
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