Summer Series Part 1: ToMyDeepestEgo - Odyssea
ToMyDeepestEgo are an Italian instru-metal band on Subsound Records, the label who sent us the pleasant surprise Deflore, and KNVBI Records, who has given us a bunch of good stuff. ToMyDeepestEgo is another pleasant surprise, and they're going to be the first review in my summer series on heavy bands you should check out.
Now let me first point out that when I got this CD I had NO IDEA how to pronounce the name. It's written in all caps on the CD cover ("TOMYDEEPESTEGO") and when my eyes scanned it my brain registered it as being pronounced something like "Tommy Deep Est Eggo." Then someone from Subsound wrote us and had the capitalization like I have it above ("ToMyDeepestEgo") and I was kind of embarrassed. When I told Ryan about this, however, he pointed out that "Tommy Deep Est Eggo" actually doesn't make that much less sense as a phrase than "To My Deepest Ego."
Touche.
ToMyDeepestEgo kick off "Odyssea" with a Pelican-esque riff fest which, frankly, didn't really do it for me. I found myself listening to the first song pile riffs upon riffs feeling like nothing was grabbing me. The transitions weren't all that smooth for me, the riffs didn't really set themselves apart, and the whole thing felt kind of flat to me.
Then a funny thing happened.
That thing was track five, a song called "Liver."
The song prominently features a violin weaving a nice little melody in and out of the crushing guitars at various points in the song and the first time it popped up I practically fell out of my seat. It was beautiful and serene, and when it gave way to the more riff rocky parts the build-up felt incredibly organic.
Incorporating an instrument like a violin into what is, in effect, a metal song is always a risky gamble. We've tried it before, with limited results. I have to say, though, ToMyDeepestEgo pulled it off better than almost any band I've ever heard.
Suddenly, I was listening to the album with new, refreshed ears. I had a different frame to interpret what I was hearing through. I stopped listening to it as a metal record that piled chuga-chug riffs on top of each other and started listening to it as a record that packed an incredible emotional uplift. The songs on this record are almost impossible to listen to in a bad mood. Subsequent listens have confirmed this for me: this is a beautiful slab of joyful metal. Even when their at their most melancholy sounding, they come off more as contemplative than sad. Like I could sit around and listen to the end of track six, "Tora," and think about burning philosophical questions like "how big is god" and "did you ever find Bugs Bunny attractive when he put on a dress and played a girl bunny?"
I've noticed a trend towards this recently: heavy bands who manage to twist their riffs in such a way that the music comes up as uplifting. Examples of this would be the second track on Pelican's "The Fire In Our Throats," parts of the second track on Mouth of the Architect's "The Ties That Blind," and the third track on the Windmills By the Ocean self-titled record. ToMyDeepestEgo are the official masters of this style: the whole album is comprised of songs that are melodic without ever getting poppy, heavy without becoming oppressive, and uplifting without becoming cheesy.
I've always found it interesting that sounds can match moods. Why are certain chord progressions sad and others happy? ToMyDeepestEgo seems to understand that there's definitely an emotional element to instrumental music that has nothing to do with the technicality of the songs, but is trapped somewhere in the spaces between the notes and chords.
They're definitely not the most original band I've ever heard, but as I stated in my manifesto for this series, originality is less a concern for me than a band that can pack a punch of some sort, and ToMyDeepestEgo definitely can. If you're into instru-metal type stuff, or you're looking for some heavy music to put you in a good mood when you're having a shitty day I would suggest giving this CD a listen. They're pretty much guaranteed to make you smile and bob your head. Definitely going into my heavy rotation for the summer.
SEE! HEADBOBBING! I TOLD YOU!!!
