The Czechian group ‘Endless’ exists for about three years and during that time they have reached some remarkable aims :
A band in the good tradition of the praiseworthy Silent Stream of Godless Elegy (the base of the doomy style in CZ) ! In 1999 they released their debut album ‘Perihelion’, everywhere it was received as an euphonious mix of Sentenced and Paradise Lost. It’s been a while now since the release of the second CD ‘Vital # 1’ in the Czech Republic but at this time it should be able to find it in the Benelux too. So while autumn colours all leaves gold and brown I still have the time to make a description of a record that has brightened up my summer days. The timbre of these songs fits more into grey skies though. It’s doomy melancholy poured in a light digestible shape, the kind of songs you hum along after a while and keep spinning in your head. This is cosmopolitan music that could please a big audience, if only we could get some airplay for our favourite underground tunes ! The unpronounceable title of the first song is only a wink, a signal to start a nice song with a strong chorus and arty guitar work. The roots of it are laying in spheric doom and atmospheric Pink Floyd sounds. The heavy riffs of ‘Sundown’ remind me in the first place of Type O’Negative but as I mentioned before in my review of the ‘Proti proudu’ compilation, ‘Sundown’ becomes a huge composition, somewhat slightly raw, but female vocals and acoustic guitars form a parallel with the recent Lacuna Coil albums. Some kind of meditation is reflected in ‘Where do dreams go when they die?’ Good question for all of us ! A flute strengthens the sphere while this is sounding like some good post doom tempo rock. Because Endless uses instruments like flute, didgeridoo, mandolin and piano each song has a personal touch. Clean and raw vocals change while prominent guitar licks appear in every song. ‘Fragments’ has a dark wave sound and spreads his misty wings over the hazes of our daily existence but it has a tense construction towards emotional outbursts. Great ! The reprise to an introspective calm makes a highlight of this song. Good to have a glass of wine after a hard working day to bring some peace to your tormented brain. This is not a pure metal album, we can enjoy so many deep atmospheric fragments. Listen to the chaotic conversation at the beginning of ‘Dune’, followed by rock with floating guitar waves. In the title track resounds the Polish inspiration of a group called Sirrah in times from their debut CD ‘Acme’ Fantastic ! Dive into the instrumental beauty of ‘Our friends’ showing us a link to the gloomy art of the Cure and Joy Division. I’m always happy when I state that for true music lovers there are no limits in inspiration, so they can bundle everything to a new variety. While listening to this record so many names pass my mind but I can never say that Endless is just a copy of something. ‘History’ : promising guitar sounds crawl against a wall of bass lines, lightly spiced by the difference in instrumental use, which results in an oriental mix. This orient train stops and floats into rough voices and double bass drums, to conclude in a bright wah wah guitar solo. This is one of my favourite tracks, on one hand because of its multilateral character, on the other hand because of its seventies sound with bluesy intermezzo at the end. And then we have ‘Pilgrim’, some acoustic shivers crawling down my spine, from the Antimatter and Anathema planet, they roll into more up tempo riffs and a huge refrain is a delight for our ears. To close this CD we have the folky, slight megalomane ‘In your psalms’; flutes and cosmic whisperings plunge us under and echoes of prayers lead us to a cautious eruption. Just like the Rapture CD ‘Songs for the withering’ I recently reviewed, this is the kind of ‘doom’ that is produced too few in these bare times. Worth buying !
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