Echoes of Yul is a relatively new duo from Poland, and this lengthy self-titled effort is their debut release (on the rather mysterious label We are All Pacinos)—unloading 76+ minutes of crushing sludge, hypnotic ambient drones, and subtle experimental noise textures that all carry an excellent air of melody throughout. Said melody really adds a sense of feeling and emotion to the overall atmosphere, and I can't tell you what a difference that makes in setting Echoes of Yul apart from the vast majority of their contemporaries that I've encountered in the last few years. With this general approach it can often seem as though bands are simply trying to be as heavy or as slow as possible, but that's not the case here at all. It's obvious that Echoes of Yul bears no concern for whether or not their material is "abstract" enough (i.e. they're not some "artsy" project), so there's a great balance between tangible riffs and percussion and loose, improvisational elements. Aside from the rare appearance of indecipherable shouts/screams amidst the instrumentation, there are no "real" vocals present, but while I wouldn't mind hearing what the band might do in that department, I don't lose interest in their compositions as a result of their predominantly instrumental nature. In certain instances brief samples are utilized in an effectively vocal-like manner, and that's something else I think they could take further, though it's not necessary. Which is again where the band's creativity pays off, because this isn't just some massive slab of creeping guitar drones and pulsing bass hums or slow, pounding doom riffs, nor is it just mildly "industrialized" metal. It's all of these things and much, much more: A strange combination of forceful, driving energy and cold, bleak atmosphere that needs to be heard to be understood. Hopefully these guys won't be overlooked by fans of this style, because in my opinion they deserve far more attention than the majority of the bands at the forefront of this niche. Nicely done...
Echoes of Yul "Midget"
Echoes of Yul "Third Time"
You can only buy the CD from the band at the moment, but their prices are extremely reasonable ($10/€8—including shipping). Definitely pick one up if you like what you hear above...
Comments
This really sounds promising. Looks like the band isn’t selling it directly any longer - they redirect you to some distro in Poland. Might wait for Crucial Blast to import it or something.
9.7.2009 | By Karl J
If you go to the purchase link above, the band still has PayPal ordering information in that blog post, so you should be able to get it straight from them at the prices I cited above, I would imagine.
9.8.2009 | By Andrew Aversionline
Thanks Andrew - I did find the payment information on their MySpace and just placed my order for the CD. Thanks for the help (and for tipping us all off to this to begin with) - very much looking forward to hearing the rest of this…
9.10.2009 | By Karl J
Finally got the CD this week (a little over 8 weeks for shipping - it is actually postmarked 9/13!). Awesome stuff -thanks again. There are atmospheric parts that remind me of things I liked in the early Jesu stuff. Definitely hope these guys keep making music.
11.13.2009 | By Karl J