Prepare for things to get a little rough. Eye on the Sky busted open the door using the only weapon on hand, and it wasn’t a battering ram. The sludge-metal band made a statement with its record The Red Mist, released in December 2018. As the name implies, it’s a no-nonsense project. Though only a three-piece band, Eye on the Sky sure knows how to pack a punch. The Red Mist came, the door fell down, and we think the whole foundation crumbled with it. This is what metal is all about!
The members of Eye on the Sky are Heath Overbey (bass/vocals), Matt “Seven” Jones (guitar/vocals) and Alex O’Neill (drums/vocals). They really make for an exceptionally talented blend. One of the first things to note is how full the band sounds on the recording. It’s incredible what just three musicians can accomplish. Eye on the Sky boasts “intense” live performances, which is to be expected. Most of Red Mist is covered by plenty of sharp edges that come in the form of erratic lead guitars, thundering drum clamor and sinister gang vocals.
Overall, this is a pretty great record. Granted, it isn’t music for the faint of heart. Eye on the Sky sets the bar high for metal in Murfreesboro. Instrumentally, it’s nothing short of a wicked ride to oblivion. The songs sound violent, but The Red Mist is easy enough on the ears for sludge-metal. Heavy guitars are a necessity when it comes to this genre. The persistent drill of distortion never seems to get old. Rhythmically, a whole arsenal of drum fills and splashes get better and better as the album progresses. The drum tracks keep things tight and interesting. The drum groove the band captured here is one element that few local metal bands seem to get right.
The vocals are unsurprisingly pretty ruthless, but they sit in the mix well.
Things really shine on the final song, “Let Them Fall,” as Joseph Lampley joins in to lay down some vocal tracks. Dueling gang vocals often get too overpowering, but in this case, the vocals are tastefully done.
Eye on the Sky took a few extra steps during the music production process and created some really interesting soundscapes to open certain tracks. For example, “Will of Stone” opens with a mosaic of dissonant synth patches, followed by a blistering carpet bomb of a drum fill, the kind of sonic excitement that rockers thirst for. Creative decisions like these help set Eye on the Sky apart from the rest of the pack.
The Red Mist is available on eyeonthesky.bandcamp.com.
