Eidola has been one of my favourite finds in 2021, specifically this masterpiece of an album. I've yet to delve into their earlier material, and considering the giant gap between this and their earlier albums, I'm not sure if I can expect the same amount of quality that I've found in The Architect, but I hope so.
This album is reminiscent of the musical style of Dance Gavin Dance, a band they're closely related to and that their lead singer Andrew Wells helps out in, the only major difference being a sense of maturity in their writings. Where Dance Gavin Dance likes to have more fun with their sound, Eidola stays more down to earth and serious (just a tad bit). It's no surprise I found out about Eidola because of Andrew Wells' contributions to Dance Gavin Dance's touring efforts as well as two of their best songs, Evaporate and Nothing Shameful. On first listen, I truthfully couldn't get into it, but knowing that they were with Blue Swan Records, a faithful endeavour by the Swancore guitarist himself, Will Swan, I knew that it'd take time to set in, just like all the Dance Gavin Dance albums did. Thankfully, I came back to it a few weeks later and fell in absolute love with this record.
The cohesiveness of their sound in this record is amazing. Their running theme of god (hence The Architect), whether it be questioning it or finding it, provides such a strong lyrical theme that ties the entire album together. Only strengthened by their musical formula, which they've just about tuned to perfection, this forty-five minute tracklist is a piece of art. Whether it be the stunning vocals, both clean and unclean, impressive guitarwork or the dynamic yet anchored drumming, the musicianship in this band is insane.
The Jon Mess feature is a fun favourite of mine, it's rare to see him outside of Dance Gavin Dance, and featuring on Eidola feels like returning the favour for Andrew's help in their band. With his guest feature, he injects so much of his unique flavour of randomness and heaviness that I've come to love from Dance Gavin Dance into Mutual Fear, and I enjoy how well the two opposing styles mix so well together and form a dissonant dynamic, and I'm glad Eidola let Jon Mess be himself in this track.
This record treads the territory between heavy and soft, and it's always an easy listen. The controlled chaos that I've become accustomed to makes this so enjoyable as a listening experience, and their use of interludes and calm sections, as well as lyrical themes of religion and inner-self, gives this record an ethereal energy, and any proper listen to this record feels to me like ascending into another world.
Rating: 10/10