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Thread: Ephemeral Sun - new album

  1. #1

    Ephemeral Sun - new album

    Courtesy of DPRP:

    Description: Seven years after Harvest Aorta, northern Virginia quartet Ephemeral Sun make their long-awaited recording comeback with Lord of Hounds. Though somewhat more streamlined than its predecessor, the album showcases all the trademark features of the band’s Gothic, highly cinematic sound. This album favours unfolding lush keyboard soundscapes, spiked with razor-sharp riffs, in a combination that is in turns airy and slightly claustrophobic. A must-listen for keyboard lovers, especially for fans of Italian horror soundtrack masters Goblin.

    Harvest Aorta was a superb album. Can hardly wait to get my ears around this new one.

  2. #2
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    Bit of a thread going on it already in the "What's New" section, if you'd like to read more.

  3. #3
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    An excellent album. I don't have their earlier stuff, but this one is really great dark, atmospheric, riff-laden stuff.

    neil

  4. #4
    Oh hello there, Ephemeral Sun thread on the main board

    Quote Originally Posted by gingernut View Post
    Courtesy of DPRP:
    Harvest Aorta was a superb album. Can hardly wait to get my ears around this new one.
    Yay for that! The DPRP review was just plain lovely. PM me if you're having trouble finding a copy and I'll help hook you up

    Quote Originally Posted by boilk View Post
    An excellent album. I don't have their earlier stuff, but this one is really great dark, atmospheric, riff-laden stuff.
    neil
    Now I'm getting all teary eyed

    You might like Harvest Aorta; it isn't quite as dark as Lord of Hounds, but they're definitely produced from the same Fun Factory, if you will. Plus, there's a 40-minute song and the CD wallet unfolding being opened could almost give the impression of a cape unfurling, so that's good stuff don't you know. Broken Door is a different creature...it's dark but also has female vocals and is slightly more in a "prog/metal/doom" groove than what came later.
    If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
    https://battema.bandcamp.com/

    Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com

  5. #5
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Lord of Hounds:

    Gave the album a test spin on the headphones. A real moody overcast day here in the northeast USA, which is the perfect backdrop for this work (and night would be just fine as well!). Crunchy guitars, walls of sounds of keyboards of all shapes and sizes, odd time riffs abound, all within a cinematic-type soundscape. This sucker is DARK, so if your canary just died, you might want to hold off on spinning this one until after the burial and you have your shit together. But in all honesty, there are rays of sunlight just barely peaking through at times amongst all of the black and dark grey clouds, so the album is not entirely without a sense of some optimism, but its certainly not the focus of Hounds. The emphasis here besides the catchy melodies, nifty harmonic progressions, is always on sound and mood, as if every texture and colorful timbre is purposefully placed, and placed for a reason, not by chance. The studio post-production effects are used brilliantly, never a heavy echo or thick reverb without serving the composition.

    The biggest compliment of all that I could serve up here (for me personally) is that Batts and Co. welcome you into their dark and sometimes twisted universe in which the listener can easily get lost in. The closest parallel I could make would be akin to a Tangerine Dream album, albeit stylistically they can be quite different, but from an aesthetic standpoint there are some similarities. I'm going to refrain from saying that this album sounds like "X" or "Y" because that may do its originality a disservice, but I will say that fans of darkish Scandinavian prog/prog metal and/or the more electronic-leaning elements of Krautrock ought to check this out. Fantastic job to John and Co, and I sadly cannot make ProgDay, but will be curious to see how this material will translate live. I'm sure it won't sucketh!

    Congrats Ephemeral Sun.


  6. #6
    Member bjoneill74's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by chalkpie View Post
    Lord of Hounds:

    Gave the album a test spin on the headphones. A real moody overcast day here in the northeast USA, which is the perfect backdrop for this work (and night would be just fine as well!). Crunchy guitars, walls of sounds of keyboards of all shapes and sizes, odd time riffs abound, all within a cinematic-type soundscape. This sucker is DARK, so if your canary just died, you might want to hold off on spinning this one until after the burial and you have your shit together. But in all honesty, there are rays of sunlight just barely peaking through at times amongst all of the black and dark grey clouds, so the album is not entirely without a sense of some optimism, but its certainly not the focus of Hounds. The emphasis here besides the catchy melodies, nifty harmonic progressions, is always on sound and mood, as if every texture and colorful timbre is purposefully placed, and placed for a reason, not by chance. The studio post-production effects are used brilliantly, never a heavy echo or thick reverb without serving the composition.

    The biggest compliment of all that I could serve up here (for me personally) is that Batts and Co. welcome you into their dark and sometimes twisted universe in which the listener can easily get lost in. The closest parallel I could make would be akin to a Tangerine Dream album, albeit stylistically they can be quite different, but from an aesthetic standpoint there are some similarities. I'm going to refrain from saying that this album sounds like "X" or "Y" because that may do its originality a disservice, but I will say that fans of darkish Scandinavian prog/prog metal and/or the more electronic-leaning elements of Krautrock ought to check this out. Fantastic job to John and Co, and I sadly cannot make ProgDay, but will be curious to see how this material will translate live. I'm sure it won't sucketh!

    Congrats Ephemeral Sun.

    Thank you for the kind words. I'd say that live presents more dynamic range.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by chalkpie View Post
    Lord of Hounds:

    Gave the album a test spin on the headphones. A real moody overcast day here in the northeast USA, which is the perfect backdrop for this work (and night would be just fine as well!). Crunchy guitars, walls of sounds of keyboards of all shapes and sizes, odd time riffs abound, all within a cinematic-type soundscape. This sucker is DARK, so if your canary just died, you might want to hold off on spinning this one until after the burial and you have your shit together. But in all honesty, there are rays of sunlight just barely peaking through at times amongst all of the black and dark grey clouds, so the album is not entirely without a sense of some optimism, but its certainly not the focus of Hounds. The emphasis here besides the catchy melodies, nifty harmonic progressions, is always on sound and mood, as if every texture and colorful timbre is purposefully placed, and placed for a reason, not by chance. The studio post-production effects are used brilliantly, never a heavy echo or thick reverb without serving the composition.

    The biggest compliment of all that I could serve up here (for me personally) is that Batts and Co. welcome you into their dark and sometimes twisted universe in which the listener can easily get lost in. The closest parallel I could make would be akin to a Tangerine Dream album, albeit stylistically they can be quite different, but from an aesthetic standpoint there are some similarities. I'm going to refrain from saying that this album sounds like "X" or "Y" because that may do its originality a disservice, but I will say that fans of darkish Scandinavian prog/prog metal and/or the more electronic-leaning elements of Krautrock ought to check this out. Fantastic job to John and Co, and I sadly cannot make ProgDay, but will be curious to see how this material will translate live. I'm sure it won't sucketh!

    Congrats Ephemeral Sun.

    Sweet, we don't suck

    Cheers Frankie, the kind words are always mucho appreciated
    If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
    https://battema.bandcamp.com/

    Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com

  8. #8
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    Sweet, we don't suck

    Cheers Frankie, the kind words are always mucho appreciated
    Thank you! I very much enjoyed it, and will spin again soon - I'm serious about hearing it at night or on an overcast day. To me it begs to be heard under those circumstances. Hopefully it will be cloudy or dark when you perform at PD

  9. #9
    I wouldn't ever complain about a few clouds while up there on the stage
    If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
    https://battema.bandcamp.com/

    Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com

  10. #10
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by battema View Post
    I wouldn't ever complain about a few clouds while up there on the stage
    What a dumbass I am...I now JUST figured out what the band name meant...its quite aptly named!

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