Klone - The Eye Of Needle Album Review

By Rhys Milsom / March 7, 2012

rating: 4

Release date: 26th March Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/KLONE/133065049048 Website: www.kloneband.net Progressive metal is a genre that€™s been explored and abetted by plenty of bands in recent times: most notably the big names such as Isis, Mastodon, Pelican and Tool have arguably had the biggest impact on the genre. But there are other bands as well, that may not have had as big an impact but have nevertheless done the rounds and have shown their take on the genre and have delved into it. Even though these bands are small, they still make a difference €“ they may be a young musician€™s favourite band and therefore that musician could go on and form a band of his own and carry the torch instead. A prime example of a band like this is Sikth, who are one of the most revered bands in the genre. They weren€™t exactly a massive name when they were together but once people found out about them, they became a well-known name in the genre but sadly they€™d split up. Like the best of them, the band became more popular once they were dead. These bands also may have influenced the sound of the bands who have €˜made it€™, so to speak. Made it is annotated because it€™s rare that you find progressive metal bands who started out looking to make a career out of their music €“ such is the select fan-base and that it isn€™t the most accessible genre to get into. Saying that, though, the bands who I€™ve mentioned above have certainly sold out venues and have made a living out of their music. Mastodon are probably the better example of this, as their recent tour sold out venues across the UK and although their material is somewhat lighter than their older stuff it still has the technical know-how and atmosphere that their older materials and still lies in progressive metal. One of these smaller bands that have been around the block are French 6-piece Klone. The band€™s inception was in 1999 and their sound has grown and morphed throughout the years into the monster that it is today. Their earlier stuff tended to lean on more rock-based sounds such as Alice In Chains and Porcupine Tree but slowly the years have kept shaking and settling the band€™s sound; letting it drip and dry and then being re-painted. Things have been developing well for the band in recent times: they€™ve played at the prestigious Hellfest twice, alongside bands such as Morbid Angel and In Flames and their last release, Black Days, got the band a lot more attention and it received good praise from critics. Goes to show that hard work does pay off. Their newest EP, The Eye Of Needle, is 3 songs full of atmospheric, intriguing, heavy, shifting music that shows the band€™s progression of sound, again, and leaves you gripped throughout. The Eye Of Needle Part 1, the opener, is the longest track at nearly 10 and a half minutes but it flows effortlessly throughout, even though it incorporates many different elements. It starts with a Gojira-esque ambience with the guitars sliding over and under the vocals which aren€™t unlike that of Mastodon€™s calmest moments. The whole track builds up for an eerie, tall sound which has many layers which entwine around each other. It€™s a really promising start. http://youtu.be/7IbpnMEBECw The Eye Of Needle Part 2 is a more lively track. The guitars chug and wind their way over the vocals which range from aggressive shouts to clean, gentle, accessible singing, making for an effect that€™s heavy yet even the most avid of pop fans could listen to. Monster, the final track, is the shortest on offer, at just past 4 minutes. But, it€™s the heaviest track on offer and points to influences this time of a different breed; Textures, Meshuggah etc and although it leans away from the progressive metal of the previous tracks, it€™s still an excellent addition and fans of more up-tempo, in-your-face music will see this as possibly their favourite track on the album. This is a really impressive album that sees Klone just getting better. Every track grabs you and shoves you into the next without so much of an apology, keeping you hooked. I can€™t wait for their next release. The only fault I can possibly muster is that I wanted more; and that goes to show how much of a feast this EP is for progressive metal enthusiasts.