Eyes Of Ligeia
A Dirge For The Most Lovely Dead
[Unsung Heroes]


It took forever, but now Georgia has birthed a true doom/death metal band! Toby Chappell is the man behind Eyes of Ligeia and if you couldn't tell, he's a doom junkie. Partnering up with Unsung Heroes Records, Eyes of Ligeia released A Dirge for the Most Lovely Dead, a 3-song demo CD clocking in at just under thirty minutes in length.

Give this demo a listen and you will hear ingenious, technical, slow doom/death the way this music has always meant to be played. Mr. Chappell seems to have a fascination with Edgar Allen Poe, which lends that much more originality to band's concept. Everything on this demo was handled by Toby, from music to lyrics. The drum programming is rather well-done and the somewhat technical patterns help keep it from sounding mechanical. The mixing of melancholic electric guitar and somber clean picking create waves of epic heaviness, exemplified by "And Yet You Stare". The epic closing track "To Drown Beyond the Sunset/Perhaps someday Softer Rains Will Come" features some hypnotically psychedelic guitar work that makes for great atmosphere.

Eyes of Ligeia brings to mind doom gods like Evoken, Thergothon and Skepticism, but Toby has his own original style of pure doom/death to share with fellow doom freaks. This is true doom/death, slow and wretchedly mournful, devoid of female vocals and classical instruments. This is the future of doom/death metal.

A Dirge for the Most Lovely Dead is only available as a CD-R, but it only costs $5 postage paid and includes lyrics. Support this band if you live for doom!


© 1999 goden