Eyes of Shiva – Eyes of Soul
Locomotive Music – 2004
By Jason Jordan
I moved in with a sense of apathy on
Eyes of Shiva’s Eyes of Soul. I couldn’t figure out the reasoning behind my lack of enthusiasm. Was it the boring artwork? Was it the realization that I’d never heard of them before? Or, am I just plain sick of power metal? These thoughts, and others, helped
Eyes of Shiva essentially blindside me with their musical ideas. The album
is better than I thought it’d be.
“Essence” is an introductory track, and I can vividly imagine James LaBrie (
Dream Theater,
Mullmuzzler) raucously entering at the 1:18 minute mark with,
Friday evening / the blood still on my hands. Nevertheless, “Essence” is a whimsical look into the group. No silence can be heard betwixt the former track and “Eagle of the Sun.” Average power metal vox shortly arrive, and traditional keyboards pepper the music. The 2:00 minute mark holds my interest due to the advent of the accordion. “Lampiao” has a distinct, Hispanic feel to it. “Psychos of the New Millennium” attempts to be categorized as grandiose, though the try fails; it’s much better once the soloing begins. “Pride” is kind of…er, sappy. “Eyes of Soul” sees a return to the odd instrumentation and culmination of many different cultural influences. The heaviest riff in the release can perhaps be found in the former song. Interestingly enough, flutes are juxtaposed with the distortion-heavy, electric guitars. Nice double-bass interjections are locatable here as well. “World Tomorrow,” “Future,” “Alone,” and “Just a Miracle” compose the last few tracks.
Unsurprisingly, I’m not going to endorse
Eyes of Shiva. There’s not enough material within
Eyes of Soul to warrant more than an unintentional glance.
6.5/10
Official Eyes of Shiva website
Official Locomotive Music website
