Yellow Eyes
Rare Field Ceiling


3.8
excellent

Review

by Xenophanes EMERITUS
July 2nd, 2019 | 120 replies


Release Date: 2019 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Blut Aus New York

Yellow Eyes exist on black metal hallowed ground. They are both clandestine and celebrated, reaping the benefits of being the ingenue of an open secret. Since 2015’s Sick With Bloom the band has found increasing success by offering a distinctly American take on European black metal. With each cold, dense slab the band has sharpened their approach by folding in equal parts dissonance and melody. It’s been a revelation, watching one of the premier American black metal bands quietly grow into an international force. But with Rare Field Ceiling, Yellow Eyes set down their roots.

Rare Field Ceiling, as was 2017’s Immersion Trench Reverie, is a deep cut of unambiguous black metal, calling to mind Blut Aus Nord’s exquisite Memoria Vetusta III. The riffs slice like a bullet train--narrow and focused, providing the purest modern black metal experience. In this way, the album is technical perfection. The boilerplate “No Dust” belies a toe-tapping cadence while the aggressive title track offers some incredible and contorted second-wave callbacks. It’s all very blackened--eagerly staving off genre-bending by offering a full-fat sound. It’s refreshing, much in the way Murg and those in the Iceland scene challenge conventions by challenging nothing. Where drummer M. Rekevics’ other band, Vanum, fasten doom and progressive metal into their sound, Yellow Eyes gleefully remain steadfast.

While Yellow Eyes retreat further into a dark singularity, one can’t help but wonder--what’s next? With Rare Field Cieling, the band has achieved a perfection of sorts, despite making any measurable alterations to their already accomplished sound. But at a time where black metal blurs genre lines to near-nothingness one also has to wonder--does it matter?



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user ratings (183)
3.9
excellent


Comments:Add a Comment 
Orb
July 2nd 2019


9493 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

New Yellow Eyes hell yeah. Sweet review m/

Digging: Mitochondrion - VITRISEPTOME

Hawks
July 2nd 2019


93615 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Not sure I get the Blut Aus Nord comparison but still a great review Xeno. m/



Bm AOTY so far and that’s saying a lot considering how many monumental releases there’s been for the genre this year.

Digging: Black Curse - Burning in Celestial Poison

brainmelter
Contributing Reviewer
July 2nd 2019


8416 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

nice, we needed more love for this

Digging: D. Tiffany - The Genero EP

Beardog
July 2nd 2019


5392 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Ok I will listen then, always hoppin' on the Hawkstrain

TheSpirit
Emeritus
July 2nd 2019


30304 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

I also don't get the BAN comparisons, but I've seen them made about this band a few times so I gather it's just me that's missing it

brainmelter
Contributing Reviewer
July 2nd 2019


8416 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

tbh I don’t understand that either

necropig
July 2nd 2019


7440 Comments


Must look

Pho3nix
July 2nd 2019


1681 Comments


BM from New York? need to check this.

TheSpirit
Emeritus
July 2nd 2019


30304 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

there’s a lot of BM from new york

zaruyache
July 2nd 2019


27750 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

brooklyn specifically is poppin now adays

Laen
July 3rd 2019


885 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

every time I hear a blut aus nord comparison I end up having to listen to memoria vetusta 1-3 then forget about the band it was compared to, so I'll intentionally miss the comparison here.



Album is a nice surprise, the bass drum is an interesting choice for me cause it sounds like someone tapping on cardboard, it definitely works for the album but by itself is total ass.

zaruyache
July 3rd 2019


27750 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

it is kind of a wet thuddy sound, but it has a really organic feel to it in that it's not just over-processed clicking like in most bands.

TheSpirit
Emeritus
July 3rd 2019


30304 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

surprised this isn't getting more traction here

TheSpirit
Emeritus
July 3rd 2019


30304 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

but also i guess 44 ratings ain't bad, I shouldve looked b4 i commented

Feather
July 3rd 2019


10534 Comments


This is cool. I am always a little surprised that there is much of a market for BM tbh.

Dimorphic
July 3rd 2019


1390 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I'm sorry, but is this seriously what's passing as black metal these days? Black metal music and black metal vocals? You kids need to learn that it's all about image these days, and the title 'Rare Field Ceiling'? It's just not cutting it. At BEST, this is emo/metalcore.

Feather
July 3rd 2019


10534 Comments


As someone who grew up listening to a lot of metalcore and still listens to tons of emo ... this is not remotely either of those

TheSpirit
Emeritus
July 3rd 2019


30304 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

you really don't hear that subtle pierce the veil influence? damn.

Dimorphic
July 3rd 2019


1390 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I thought it was clear I was being insincere tbh.

DarkNoctus
July 3rd 2019


12357 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

love this band, can't wait to check

Digging: Ataraxie - Le D??clin



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