This CD was just sent to EvilSponge a few months ago, although it was released in 2005 as a limited pressing of 500 copies. The fact that we were able to receive one of the 500 after about 3 years might be saying something… Or maybe the band is just terrible at marketing.
I think they are looking for publicity now because they have just been "signed by the producer Rick Harte (Mission of Burma, The Lyres). Their first album is to be released in Fall 2008 by Ace of Heart Records, Boston , MA ." Ah, i see now why they think that EvilSponge (a notorious bunch of Mission of Burma fans) might be interested.
And this EP is not bad, really. It was apparently recorded live, and that shows in some of the drum heaviness of the production and some of the flatness in the guitarwork. In general though, their work translates well to a live environment. You see, Heat From a Dead Star are a three-piece post-rock band from London who play in the vaguely metalish Graboids vein. There is power riffing, some deep crunchy rhythms, and some furious playing, but it is instrumental and it sort of ebbs and flows lightly.
The whole EP is not even 10 minutes long, so let's examine the 4 songs here.
Shenzu is the lead off track, and it features some nice echoed guitarwork accompanied by thundering drums, and it builds slowly over its one and a half minute length to a nice, brief frenzy.
The next track, Sinking in a Sea of Dead Stars starts off with some ambient washes of sound, before the bass comes in, joined first by arpeggioing guitar, and then drumming. The guitar fades in and out of focus, allowing the bass to take over at times, which is a pretty neat effect.
The Nucleus of Ten Good Men features see-sawing guitar over some lighter drumming than the previous tunes. It builds oddly, the pace seeming to increase every measure, so that it is a gradual speeding up rather than a sudden change. You don't see that too often, and i think they manage to pull it off.
The final track, Her Warm Womb Room clocks in at almost 4 minutes, making it a real epic for these people. The extra space allows them room to stretch out, allowing for some interesting solos, and for the instruments to play off of each other more. I think this is their best piece here, as it the most fully realized of the tracks. If this is what they are capable of, then i really want to hear more of the long form work.
Overall, this is pretty good. Heat From a Dead Star remind me of the post-rock of Graboids, or perhaps Paik. It’s pretty interesting stuff, and after hearing this live EP i bet they put on a really good show. I hope they tour, now that they have an American label.
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