If you’re looking for something technically stimulating as much as it just sounds cool as hell, you need not look any further than Eden’s Curse. Did you see what I did there? Well, This band has been on the scene in Europe for a decade, stemming from a small Internet based multi-national project to a full-on international touring band, with 5 studio albums, and American’s don’t know about them yet? Let’s see…where to start? These guys always try new things to better themselves, that, and the core songwriting duo of Bassist Paul Logue and Guitarist Thorsten Koehne have some crazy psychic connection and the ability to bring out the best in each other. These two phenomenal musicians have bragging rights separately, but Eden’s Curse’s new album Cardinal consists of “Some of the best songs we’ve ever written,” boasts Logue.
Their website says that they’ve worked two years on this album, and the time was well worth it. You can immediately hear the level of detail and personal love went into this project, as everything is orchestrated and produced beautifully, an excellent answer to their last album, Symphony of Sin. “Find My Way” takes you into the thoughts of a man in need, as the powerful time signature and key changes echo the feelings of angst and stress. About four minutes into it, you realize there’s a shift in the character, by the way of the music. You don’t realize that 4 minutes has passed by…trust me, and the rest of the nearly seven minute track (and the entire album for that matter) is as easy to get lost in as the first four, with screaming guitar solos by Koehne, under the vocals of Nikola Mijic, and amplified with the synths and keys of Chrism. This track, like a few others on this album, screams progressive, with all the elements, you have to…and really want to listen to this track a few times. The entire style shifts with “Jericho,” a musical adaptation of the Battle of Jericho, still proving their technical prowess, but with a more arena rock style, showing the multiple faces this band can carry. With the powerful feet of drummer John Clelland, keeping blindingly fast riffs on his double bass and changing time signatures and patterns like that, that addition really stepped up Eden’s Curse’s game!
LISTEN TO A SAMPLE OF “CARDINAL”
I know this is cliché to say, but there really isn’t a bad track on this album, as the band selflessly proclaims on their website…these guys are really about the music. They incorporate elements of jazz and funk with heavy metal in the sure to be a hit “Kingdom of Solitude,” supported by tight vocals and blazing guitar solos in tracks like “Messiah Complex” and “Prophets of Doom.” You start to notice a biblical theme and, through the titles alone you wouldn’t be able to tell if these guys are a badass Christian band or not…there isn’t any cursing (that I noticed…. and I listened to this album quite a few times), but you’ll have to listen for yourself and decide. Either way, these guys KICK ASS! Screaming synths and powerful vocals fill out the sound depth of this group, along with some guest female vocals on a track, making this album one to add to your collection. Check out Eden’s Curse’s latest studio album, Cardinal on Amazon.