EAST OF THE WALL

Some of my fellow collaborators, Sebastian and Igor in particular, have been blabbing on and on about Day Without Dawn and their related groups over the past year or so. While I've still not fallen in love with The Postman Syndrome, Day Without Dawn or Biclops (the vocals being the main reason), I've really taken a liking to East of the Wall. East of the Wall contains members of one or more of the aforemention (if I remember correctly), but unlike those bands, East of the Wall is an instrumental outfit. Stylistically, their debut EP is most comparable to Russian Circles; they both have similar sound & dynamics, and a bunch of textural tapping riffs. There is also a comparison that can be made with Red Sparowes. What sets this body of work apart from the works of Russian Circles is predominantly a mild jazz influence. There are a few other intangible differences as well - it won't be mistaken for either of those bands - and so we have a four-song EP, actually breaking the 30-minute marker, that is both unique yet familiar and complex but very easy to get into. Each track does its own thing and has its own share of merits. It's a very solid debut release, though it is clear that the band hasn't really found their sound yet. They would take a significantly different direction with their first official full-length, though. East of the Wall is definitely a band to keep an eye on in the future, but don't miss out on the opportunity to hear them in the present too. Check this out.

While DAY WITHOUT DAWN offer an incomparable mixture of Modern-Prog, Post-Hardcore and Post- Metal, EAST OF THE WALL, known for their Post-Rocky approach to such stuff on their debut EP, changed their manner with this full-length release. It's more groovy, metal-oriented, less atmospheric and less melodical, unfortunately; you should listen to it at least 3-5 times to memorize anything or to for some kind of 'first opinion'. Not being bad, this album, nevertheless, shows some significant change in DAY WITHOUT DAWN-related camp; I guess, future BICLOPS official release will be the same way heavy but, unfortunately, less interesting...anyway, will see. As for EotW's album - try their EP first and decide for yourself

My favourite discovery this year, the DAY WITHOUT DAWN-related family, has another active project with participation of THE POSTMAN SYNDROME/ DAY WITHOUT DAWN/ BICLOPS members, and it's fully instrumental EAST OF THE WALL band. But unlike above-mentioned heavier projects, EotW is rather Post-Rocky side of all musicians' tastes. Imagine these lovely bass lines, powerful double-bass drums and quirky guitars playing real atmosperic Post-Rock - but in their own manner, with clear Math-Rock, Post-Metal and Post-Hardcore hints. Rich instrumental palette, unquestionable professionalism, extraordinary composing skills and desire to present the result in to a listener in the most appropriate way - this is what makes this EP recommended to every Prog/Experimental/Post-Stuff fan around. Extremely recommended!

East of the Wall is side project band that formed out of the ashes of The Postman Syndrome but instead of taking the direction of their predecessor, they took a totally different one and it is demonstrated through their debut EP. In simple words East of the Wall's music takes the energy of The Postman Syndrome and fuses it with intensive post rock melodies.

This EP consists of only 4 untitled songs that have a unique atmosphere and sound. While at first glance it might all seem like jazz oriented post rock/math rock guitar sound but deep inside the songs, like in II you'll find a heavier sound because of Brett Bamberger's distorted bass effect that brings Anekdoten to mind, and also not to be missed is Mike Somers incredible drumming. The third song (III) features a more experimental sound, using different strange effects and even featuring an acoustic guitar. The last song (IV) features an even heavier sound; featuring again the distorted bass that once again brings Anekdoten to mind but this time, sounds more similar to bands like Russian Circles and even Red Sparowes.

In overall this debut EP is great. East of the Wall has shown that it has a bright future ahead of them. Great quality and great music, East of the Wall is not to be missed.