Myopic – Beyond the Mirror’s Edge (17 January 2014 CD / 04 March 2014 cassette, Grimoire Records)

Good afternoon, folks, and HAPPY FRIDAY! You all are probably anxious to get the weekend started, perhaps with some awesome music to listen to, and perhaps without a lot of crap to read before you get to listening. I understand. I’ll try to make this short and sweet. Which makes sense, because with just four tracks spanning approximately 25 minutes, this EP that was just released a week ago by Baltimore-based Grimoire Records is short — and also pretty fucking sweet.

The Beyond the Mirror’s Edge EP is the first thing I’ve ever heard from both Myopic, a three-piece band from Takoma Park, Maryland (just outside Washington), and from the Grimoire label. But if this little package of blackened post metal (with just a touch on the experimental side) is any indication, then I’m pretty excited to see what the future holds for both of them.

With intense, impassioned vocals and a frenzy of heavy riffage, the title track that opens the EP feels like it starts right in the middle of a Neurosis song — that is, I can imagine several minutes worth of gloomy introduction that build ever-so-excruciatingly to an emotional climax, and just that moment where it really kicks into a higher gear is where “Beyond the Mirror’s Edge” begins.

The two songs that follow couldn’t be more different from each other, demonstrating the wide span of Myopic‘s influences, and showing off a variety of styles which they perform equally well. While both range around 8-9 minutes, “Iron Towers” is very fast and intense throughout, mostly blackened metal and blastbeat-oriented; whereas “Backstitch” is a very slow and ponderous instrumental helping of atmospheric post metal, featuring intriguing rhythms as well as the occasional jazzy chords or fills.

This somewhat experimental, somewhat jazzy influence within the metal context sets the stage nicely for the final track, “Lord of Damnation.” Originally by the avant-garde Swedish death metal band Carbonized, the bouncy bassline and funky, upbeat hi-hat groove, with contrast provided by somewhat more death-growl-styled vocals than on the previous songs, seems to mesh perfectly with the combination of sounds Myopic has brought to the table.

This is a release that should easily find fans among the several genres it encompasses, and as I said earlier, should serve as encouragement to delve into the rest of Grimoire‘s catalog.

 
The band recently released this video for the song “Iron Towers”:

 
You may listen to and download the EP here, and buy the CD (and the cassette, once it becomes available in a few weeks)
here.

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http://myopicdc.com/
http://www.facebook.com/myopicband
 
http://www.grimoirerecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/GrimoireRecords
http://twitter.com/GrimoireMetal
http://grimoirerecords.bandcamp.com