Strangely ethereal, syncopated, bizarre. And that’s just the first track on the self-titled debut album from the instrumental prog-rock band Slow to Wake. "Eol" takes a strong string arrangement and shrink-wraps it in a syncopated rock rhythm making a backdrop that would make Amy Lee of Evanescence salivate.
The entire album is centered on various string arrangements that carve a hole right through the middle of each progressive track. It’s as if The Mars Volts took out all of their extreme bizarreness and inserted several killer string quartet compositions.
It’s hard to imagine that the entire album was written by Slow to Wake. I keep looking for a little sample credit somewhere, but there is none to be found. Their debut is dense to say the least. Layers upon layers of sound (especially on the Hendrix-meets-Nine Inch Nails "Baby Monster") make this album worth repeated listens, mainly because you will hear something different every single time you listen.
