Euro-Asia (Orwell fans will get the wordplay) piles on the tonal goodness with their latest EP release A View of the Earth.  These Floridian netherworld dwellers gravitate between the Empire State Building tall riffage and trance-y space-outs of heavy/pretty greats such as Hum, Shiner, Floor, Swervedriver and Cave In.  Not quite crushing enough to be labelled outright “metal” and way too heavy to appeal to strict “indie” fans, the resulting sonic sun-drench is punishing in all of the right places without forgetting to come up for air occasionally.

The stabbing succinctness of opener “At Fault” kicks off with a pond-skipping guitar melody courtesy of the band’s head honcho Pedro Ortiz (who also handles vocals, bass and production).  Production-wise, the crisp clarity renders the riff plenty of pot-belly punching power with enough subtle jabs to make the hook stick.  Ortiz’s vocals are lightly affected by FX which adds a fathoms deep, submarine dive to their languid cleanliness while the 6-strings surge with an otherworldly, doom-y weight.  All of that don’t mean shit if you don’t have a drummer with the appropriate chops pushing the material, but thankfully Cody Mentelos is a beast; a man that knows when to keep time in check on the wings of a steady rock beat and when to be a fill-wielding giant that pounds the material into submission.  “Nothing Clock (Perfect Nothing)” adds 16 tons of complexity to the band’s soul baring riff-groove…the edgy, nervously addictive time-signatures and battering instrumental shifts get downright rabid and remind me of early Cave In tempered with a more straightforward, heavy rock tenacity.  The vocals play the role of another instrument as they slip onto a piston-pounded conveyor belt of constantly moving riffs, tricky drum patterns and thick low-end levitation.

“Total Charmer” is the crossroads where elephantine grooves/guitar tones are melted n’ smelted down into gorgeous, dreamy progressions that remind me of some of the 90s greatest melodic/heavy titans (see the intro paragraph).  Chugging, palm-muted riffs borderline on metal but unfold in unusual arcs that elude exact definition.  This tune is all about that big, bloody grade-A rhythm beef too; Pedro and Cody don’t allow for a single mouse squeak’s worth of air to get through the well-soldered foundation.  The trippy, arid chords that enter “Nameless” are dashed into an endless oblivion of shuddering, detuned thrashing…the kind you’d expect to hear on a Crowbar record (only much more agile).  Just when you think you have the trajectory figured out, the duo runs your ass ragged with a serpentine, indie influenza full of acerbic post-rock chord cascades and math-y percussion.  Everything culminates with an absolute batshit nuts noise-breakdown that has only pain on its brain.  Closer “Owner of Oceans” is not only perfectly titled, but it’s also the perfect finale for the EP.  Euro-Asia displays all of the strengths in their arsenal on this piece and leaves my ears wanting another five songs to listen to when all is said and done.  But shit man…that’s what the replay button is for!

I’ve been following Pedro’s work since his sick hybrid sludge/noise band Green Sky came storming into existence, before quickly vanishing into thin air.  Euro-Asia’s body of output thus far continues to get better and better with each release.  Hopefully, it won’t be long until the band gets a full-length into the water.  Until then I will be spending plenty of time absorbing the excellent work observed on A View of the Earth.

 

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