A rewarding experience for those who appreciate a piece of work regardless of style or genre.
Eyevory hail from Bremen in Germany and are described in the bio as a progressive folk rock band, which I guess is a fairly accurate assessment. Made up of two female lead singers, Jana Frank and Kaja Fischer, who also handle bass and flute duties respectively, the line-up is completed by David Merz (guitars & programming) and Sascha Barasa Suso (drums and programming). 'Euphobia' is Eyevory's debut full-length release and the strong folk elements bring to mind Jethro Tull at times, though many of the hooks and melodies have a distinct AOR flavour and have an instant impact.
The combination of styles seems to work throughout and when you also add some strong metal riffs, powerful drum patterns, computerised industrial textures and slightly off the wall German eccentricities (the likes of which you would normally find in the Eurovision Song Contest) it is quite a concoction. With so much going on I suppose it has no right to gel so well but, aside from one or two tracks, surprisingly everything comes together to create an album that will maintain interest levels no matter how many times it is played.
'Monster' contains some energetic guitar passages, and quirky yet intelligent lyrical themes and time changes, whilst Kaja's flute playing is very influential without being intrusive or overly defining. 'Black Bird' is a particular favourite. The guitar solos are very melodic in structure and execution and the song's hook is very strong. 'In My Dream' has a great rock riff, a very intelligent dynamic and is possibly the most commercial of the CD's ten main tracks, though it does break down into a barrage of sounds at its conclusion. 'Torn' is probably the song I connect with least. It is bordering on pop and even though the vocals are great it made me think of Lisa Loeb doing Jethro Tull karaoke. '1001 Nights', as you would expect, has a strong eastern flavour and is a five minute story of infidelity and passion, once again featuring some nice melodies and vocals. Closing track 'Requiem Aeternam' is a nine minute mini epic and the main verse is almost spoken rap in delivery. Extended musical passages show great imagination and the mid section really rocks out when the guitar kicks in.
Eyevory are certainly not easily pigeonholed and that could be a problem for those who like their bands categorized. They are quite unique and it is hard to easily reference anybody else in comparison. The music is well crafted and the lyrical themes are thoughtful and different making 'Euphobia' a rewarding experience for those who appreciate a piece of work regardless of style or genre.
Dave Bott
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