“I spent my whole life searching for substance, just to find an empty room.”
The year is 2020 and Eidola have their brand new follow up to 2017’s To Speak, To Listen ready to grace the ears of their fans. Lo and behold, it would take another year, and Rise Records requesting memes, before the album is announced in truth. And finally, out of COVID delay Hell, progressive post-hardcore outfit Eidola’s 4th full length LP, The Architect has arrived.
The album starts with the connected duo of “Hidden Worship” into “Counterfeit Shrines”. “Counterfeit Shrines” was the first teaser the band shared, and I think it was a marketing mistake to release “Hidden Worship” over a month after. It transitions into “Counterfeit Shrines” nicely, and there are obvious conceptual connections between the tracks as well. Despite that, “Hidden Worship” was released alongside “Perennial Philosophy”, track 6, instead. Another questionable marketing decision was the release date – it is shared with booming labelmates Spiritbox. Combined with the delays, it feels like Eidola did not get the album rollout that they deserved, but the album quality can speak for itself, at least.
These first two tracks do a good job of introducing the sound and concept of the album, but other than that, I find them to be a weak set of songs when compared to some of the stellar tracks later in the album. “Hidden Worship” is spacey and soothing despite its various screamed verses, and while it serves as a great intro, by itself, it isn’t fantastic. After the transition, it juxtaposes “Counterfeit Shrines” and its high energy intro riff. The energy is the most it has going for it, however. Despite some tasty guitar licks, crisp production, and a nice change-up in the middle of the track, it feels like Eidola are hitting slightly below their weight on this one.
Thankfully, that sentiment is quickly left behind with the following track, “Caustic Prayer”. “Burn my effigy, I will always stand on my two feet and be unafraid” is an epic starting lyric with great delivery from vocalist Andrew Wells. The vocal delivery and accompanying instrumental here are simply more fast paced and purposeful than on a track like “Counterfeit Shrines”. The conceptual lyrics really shine on this one too.
“Empty Gardens” is another noteworthy track for many reasons. It starts off pretty standard, but then it really grows into its own at around the two-minute mark. There’s a switch-up to a near-breakdown heavy portion that transitions tastefully into a math rock, lo-fi fusion. As if that wasn’t enough, Wells then harmonizes with his wife, who absolutely kills it, to produce a super cathartic and soothing pseudo climax. This sort of dynamic song writing separates the better tracks from ones like “Counterfeit Shrines” and later culprits.
“Occam’s Razor” is a cut that took me a while to appreciate. In a void, I think it’s just a lackluster interlude. However, I think the album gets a nice breather from it, and it makes “Perennial Philosophy” come off as a less abrasive change than it could’ve been by itself. For that, I thank “Occam’s Razor”, because “Perennial Philosophy” is an absolute high point on the record that deserves the set-up it gets. The opening is serene, and the verses laid down on this one are next-level smooth. The vocal melodies are equal parts catchy and impactful, too. The keys are a great addition as well; they contribute to the peaceful energy of the track and pair nicely with the bass line delivered by James Johnson. My only issue with it is that is peters out a bit at the end given how strong it started.
Unfortunately, there’s a bit of a lull at this point on the album. “Forgotten Tongues” and “Unequivocal Nature” share similar downsides to “Counterfeit Shrines” – the song writing, and instrumentation seem like standard “swancore” cuts. I do like the bridge on “Forgotten Tongues” a lot, but I can’t find a similar saving grace within “Unequivocal Nature”. “Alchemist Ascendant” then provides another breather similar to “Occum’s Razor” with a transition into “Elephant Bones”. Unlike its predecessor, however, the transition doesn’t boost the next track on the same level – a minor gripe, though, because “Elephant Bones” does its own heavy lifting without the need of help.
“Elephant Bones” immediately stood out to me as one of, if not, the best track on The Architect. There’s so much to unpack in its four-and-a-half-minute runtime, but it’s all quality through and through. This is due to how dynamic the track is. It goes through various stages, all of which are huge sounding and impressive. It starts soft and that leads into an off-time math-y riff which seems out of nowhere, but it somehow fits like a glove. The middle of the track provides a dissonant breakdown which, once again, seems to come out of nowhere, but the track is formed in such a way that these numerous chaotic elements are all huge boons for the song. The chord progression on the bridge is cathartic and heavy and feels like nothing else the band has written on The Architect.
“Mutual Fear” was a standout in the track listing due to a feature by Dance Gavin Dance’s own Jon Mess. However, it fails capitalize on that hype within the song itself. Mess is very much the star of the song, but I do not think the instrumental that Eidola composed to bring Mess in on does him any favors. It could’ve been heavier and more chaotic. Instead, we’re left with a slightly heavier Eidola song that exchanged progressive song writing for the heaviness. Not a good trade, in my opinion. Even the bridge lacks substance, which then leads into a simple repeated chorus.
Last is the closer, “Ancient Temperament”. I have no true complaints with this one. The cadence behind Andrew’s vocals sounds entirely unique within the album, and said cadence grants the track a large sounding feel, perfect for a closer. The last 1/3 of the track is a spacey instrumental passage that dishes out a whole lot of chill math rock riffage. It feels a tad disconnected from how the song started, but the entirety of it makes for a strong closer regardless. The odd nature of the track makes it so I wouldn’t necessarily throw it on as my first choice, but after a complete album listen, I’d be happy having “Ancient Temperament” close it out.
Eidola has come a long way since their 2011 inception. They’ve garnered a loyal fanbase and are touted as one of the top bands in post-hardcore. That much is evident given the hype surrounding The Architect. I think the hype was mostly lived up to. As I stated, there are a handful of tracks that are lackluster, especially when compared to the better ones on the album. And I do think the band’s potential is even greater. Their 2015 album, Degeneraterra, remains one of my favorites of the “swancore” moniker, and I hope to see them surpass it in their undeniably bright future. Definitely check out The Architect on streaming services or purchase it here. And for all things music, check back with Boolin Tunes.
7.5/10