Should this post belong in our Unmetal Monday segment? I don’t know and, frankly, I don’t really care right now: I’m too weirded out. White Stag is

8 years ago

Should this post belong in our Unmetal Monday segment? I don’t know and, frankly, I don’t really care right now: I’m too weirded out. White Stag is one of those bands we would have never even heard about if it wasn’t for the Internet; I can’t see any “traditional” method of distribution bringing these guys to my attention. Why is that, you may ask? Well, their Eos Crux EP is a bizzare melange of doom, drone and…Tool worship? Something like that. It opens with a Pink Floyd segment which quickly descends into an over/under produced chaotic middle segment. The rest of the EP is filled with this tension: atmospheric intros and interludes, interspersed by moments of drone, black metal and alternative rock. Head on over the jump for your first, bewildering taste!

“Hyperion” is a good example of the conflict I described above: it starts with the atmospheric interlude which is the staple mark of the band but quickly moves into black metal drumming and thick, gigantic bass line a la Lotus Thief. Instead of continuing down this line however, it then reverts to a moving passage that reminds me of something off of Dream Theater‘s The Trial of Tears, AKA cheesy, 90’s guitars.

Are the influences wild enough for you yet? Somehow, and don’t ask me how, really, these guys make it work. While the production leaves a bit to be desired, not varying enough to suit the different passages and their respective moods, that somehow adds a stuffy charm to the whole thing. Besides, we can’t have the cake and eat it to: if you want a band that can pull off the saxophone parts at the end of “Hyperion”, you can’t also have a multi-million dollars operation with state of the art production. For me, I’ll take that trade any day of the week: Eos Crux is weird, convincing and oddly charming. Like a stilted, weirdly stitched together creature which holds you with its gaze. Also, the last track, “Mothouse”, is just down right crazy. You owe it to yourself to listen to at least that.

-EK

Eden Kupermintz

Published 8 years ago