Well this is definitely an album I missed out on last year and wish I would have discovered it sooner.  In 1995 a band from Quebec called Gorelust released an album called Reign of Lunacy that came out on New World Symphony records.  Fast forward twenty two years later and we have Eyexist, a side project of Gorelust vocalist Jean Beaulieu.  Eyexist describe themselves as Avant garde death metal although I think they at times border on Sci-Fi and Symphonic elements. The Digital Holocaust segues from a one minute instrumental intro into the title track, “The Digital Holocaust”.  I must say that the fretboard work of Bouillion is very well done. Now, Eyexist are not going to riff after riff ala The Zenith Passage or First Fragment but for all of the elements that they combine into one album they do an outstanding job.

Bealieu and Bouillion formed this group primarily with the intent of working together as they two are best friends and have been involved in the Montreal scene for twenty five years plus.  It should also be noted that Oli Beaudoin from Kataklysm was recruited to do the session drum work and production done by Oli Beaudoin of Kataklysm. “Chronicles of Survival” opens up with keyboard lines that sound like they could have come off of any Fleshgod Apocalypse record. I could also make an Oxiplegatz comparison although I do not see any operatic elements presented. Beaudoin’s drum work is on point and fits the compositions quite well.  I like that these guys are not trying to blast over 280 beats per minute and do not have a guitar solo every other thirty seconds. “The One Who Meets With God” is in my opinion the strongest song on this debut effort.  Excellent build throughout, and arrangement with a tinge of djent towards the middle of the tune.

Eyexist make it known that they were greatly influenced by not only old school death and modern metal but also by jazz, modern film scores and rock. Overall, this is a very well-played and assembled slab of Quebec technical death metal with science fiction and film score elements. I really hope that Beaulieu and Bouillion continue to work on this project because this album as a whole sounds very natural and not forced. I got to imagine that these ideas were built on and worked on for many years before coming to fruition From bands like Augury, Quo Vadis, Cryptopsy, Martyr, Blood of Christ, Neuraxis, and even more modern death metal groups like First Fragment. 

Quebec has a very crowded technical death metal scene and you can add Eyexist to that mix.  Time will tell whether this will continue to be a studio project or touring endeavor but one thing is for sure this album rules and would have been very easy to miss last year.  Give this one a shot.  Glad I did!

 

[Visit the band's website]

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