The Thundering Heard (Songs of Hoof and Horn)

For those unaware, Eagle Twin are a fascinating duo out of Salt Lake City, Utah that take all four facets of doom metal and combine them into something that is totally unique and unlike anything you have ever heard before. There are plenty of bands that combine two of the facets and some that combine three and leave out drone (which tends to suck anyway so no big loss). However, Eagle Twin are the only stoner/sludge/drone/doom band out there and they rule. The Thundering Heard (Songs of Horn and Hoof) is their third album overall and the first in six years.

Eagle Twin’s sound is pretty damn heavy by any standards. The fact that they are a duo with no bassist just makes it that much more impressive. The riffs are not soul-crushingly heavy like the ones in bands like Conan, Burning Witch or Ahab. They are not as fuzz-laden as bands like Monolord, Danava or Electric Wizard. Yet somehow, frontman Gentry Densley always writes incredible riffs that are heavy enough to compel listeners to headbang and interesting and catchy enough to make you want to jam out. Part of his genius is his absolute refusal to play at one tempo for an entire song. The variations in tempo are not usually drastic but they are frequent enough to keep the listener on their toes the entire time. Granted, the variations are basically between ¾ slow and mid-pace but Gentry constantly finds ways to make each tempo unique and more interesting than most of his peers. Take the album’s opening riff for example. As great of a song as “Quanah Un Rama” is, the opening riff is absolutely massive. Oh yeah, the rest of the riffs are fantastic as well. In case you still have any doubts, listen to the harmonized melody starting at 1:40 in this track or the one at the three minute mark and any doubts will be immediately erased. There is enough fuzz in the guitar tone to give them that tasty stoner vibe without going overboard and maintaining the heaviness. His leads and solos are also excellent and quite unique, like if whammy bar actually sounded great instead of pretentious.

Excellent, intensely creative drummers are less common in doom metal than you might think because a lot of times, it ends up being straight bashing with the occasional cymbal hit and war drum beat. There are a few exceptions like Des Kensel (High on Fire), Chris Haikus (Sleep, OM), and Jason Roeder (Neurosis, Sleep). Right along with those big names is Eagle Twin drum master Tyler Smith. His name hardly ever gets brought up in great drummer conversations but Tyler is one of the best drummers in the genre. Sure he can bash with the best of them but his creativity is a huge part of what makes this album and Eagle Twin in general, such an interesting and dynamic listen. Take the closing track, “Antlers of Lightning,” for example. He has a ton of hard-hitting beats in this track but listen to all the other cool things he does in it. Around the 10 minute mark, the riffs speed up significantly and Tyler just sits back and lays down some feathery cymbals before transitioning back to the heavy hitting beats. “Quanah Un Rama” also contains plenty of awesome percussion, especially the beginning, which is straight out of Des Kensel’s playbook (not that he invented that percussion sequence). Tyler even throws in some rim drumming every once in a while when the music suits it. He does so many different things to enhance the quality of this album with such a dynamic performance but it never feels overbearing, and that is perhaps the greatest compliment of his talent and skill set as a drummer.

Gentry’s vocals are perhaps the most unique thing about Eagle Twin. His style is very different from most doom metal vocalists and nobody else sounds like him. See, Gentry does not really “sing” in the traditional sense. His vocals are like a low-pitched, grit-infused primal chant more than anything else. Yes, he does “sing” a little every so often but even that is gritty, low-pitched and primal. This fits Eagle Twin brilliantly since their lyrics are primarily about animals. The first two albums talked a lot about birds and serpents (literally and metaphorically) while this one focuses on hoofed game animals like elk. Many of Gentry’s chants feel like he is channeling the animals themselves and perhaps even speaking for them. He has always approached the vocals this way but it seems particularly appropriate this time around given the album’s lyrical themes. His chanting also makes sense in the context of Eagle Twin being part drone since that style tends to have a lot of primal chanting that is supposed to represent monotony or something. Gentry’s vocals are way more interesting than the standard drone chanting though and they help make Eagle Twin one of the few completely original bands out there.

It may have taken six years between the second album and this one but it was worth the wait. Eagle Twin sounds heavier and more focused than they ever have without losing one bit of their established sound. The first two albums were both excellent but this new one is their best yet and a genuine masterpiece. Is it perfect? No. It is pretty damn close though. It is still early in the year but it is hard to imagine a doom metal album topping this one, unless YOB releases something this year.

- originally written for The Metal Observer