New York, NY (Top40 Charts) In the music world it isn't often that you hear of many bands or artists coming out of the sleepy state of Maine. I mean let's face it,
Maine isn't exactly known as being a hotbed for culture and creativity. If anything, most people just think of our country's northernmost state as the place where lobsters, blueberries and coffee brandy comes from. And as delicious as these things are (especially the coffee brandy),
Maine has been known from time to time to deliver more then just the exports that reinforce its unwanted stereotypes. That said, the Portland based, prog-rock quintet aptly known as Five of the Eye's just so happens to be a shining example of one of those rare but wildly significant exports. In recent years, few bands have made as big of an impact on the
Maine music scene as 5OTE. Now with the bands highly anticipated forthcoming full-length album The Venus Transit it has become abundantly clear that Portland's honorary ambassadors of rock are in it for the long haul and have set their sights on greener pastures, bigger stages, and the beautiful burden and privilege of being a full-time touring act.
The album which was produced and engineered by Jonathan Wyman at The Halo Studio in Portland, ME musically picks-up where the band left off with their self-produced sophomore EP Hierophantasm. However with Wyman acting as both producer and engineer, the songs off The Venus Transit soar to stunning new heights, previously unachievable in the confines of the bands home studio. The flawless fidelity matched by equally impressive performances by all five members, makes for a listening experience unlike anything that the band has produced to date. Singer Darrell Foster's jaw dropping voice seems bound by neither range, power, or tone and brings to mind the limitless pipes of singers like
Anthony Green of
Circa Survive and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta. Brothers Tim and
Thomas Meehan bring their biological synchronicity to the band and shred fearlessly (on guitar and bass respectively) on every track as if their lives depended on it; injecting the music with harmonious riffs, that are both as technical as they are tasteful. Drummer extroardinaire
Peter Griffith holds down the backbeat with his impeccable timing, precision playing and a Tazmanian Devil level of energy that propels the songs forward at a breakneck pace. And last but certainly not least is rhythm guitarist Ned Rich whose laid-back demeanor may trick you at first, but don't be fooled people. Put the man on stage with a guitar and he's all business. Rich attacks the instrument with the tunnel-vision focus of a surgeon and the tentacle dexterity of an octopus.
The Venus Transit was mastered by grammy award winning engineer Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering Studio's which is known around the world for pretty much mastering every great record that you've ever heard. Ok, well not every album but just about. In short, the record sounds incredible and will appeal to and or impress music lovers of all types. To try and pigeon hole the band into one genre would be to do them a massive disservice, because while they tend to toe the prog-rock line, Five of the Eyes have dedicated themselves to creating a sound and aesthetic that is uniquely their own. Now with a stellar new album under their belt, a fall tour on the books, and a hunger to be heard, these five small-town boys are ready to take on the world one face-melting show at a time. The Venus Transit is set for release on
September 29th, 2017.
About Five of the Eyes:
Five of the Eyes is a progressive rock band from Portland, Maine. The term "progressive rock" is used with reluctance in their case, though, as most of their music seems to defy genre. Imagine that the love child of Jeff Buckley, The
Mars Volta and
Incubus started making music. Then, somewhere along the way, it had an affair with Queens of the Stone Age. The offspring of that relationship then started making its own music, and it was under the name Five of the Eyes.
Five of the Eyes first formed in early 2013 when Tim Meehan (guitar) moved to Portland and was looking to start a project with his brother,
Thomas Meehan (bass).
Friends Peter Griffith (drums) and Ned Rich (guitar) were quickly brought into the fold as they had been playing with
Thomas for many years in a group called
Chaos Sauce. Sessions with the quartet began immediately and it was obvious to everyone that something unique and truly exciting was happening. After a few months, songs were beginning to take shape, but one piece seemed to be missing…a vocalist.
Thomas had someone in mind who might be the perfect fit, and sent over an early instrumental demo of the song "Isabella" to local Portland musician Darrell Foster. Darrell had performed with John Popper and collaborated with
Thomas Waterhouse (Last Chance to Reason) and Mike Lessard (The Contortionist). His previous bands, Nira May, Mother Leopard, Foster & Ulitz, and Paper Tails, had opened for renowned acts such as
Lake Street Dive and London Souls. Within hours of receiving "Isabella", Darrell responded with a single vocal take. Once the band heard it, it was obvious: Darrell was in. Rehearsals began immediately and creative output quickly blossomed.
In the next couple of years, the band wrote, recorded, performed continuously, and released two EPs, FOTE and Hierophantasm, both of which were completely self-recorded and produced. In the summer of 2015, they embarked on a tour of the Eastern US and had the pleasure of opening for such acts as Rival Sons, Chon, The Contortionist, Auras, Intronaut, Moon Tooth, Rustic Overtones, Paranoid Social Club, and Entheos.
In 2016, the group began writing songs for their first full-length album. They spent the winter of '16 and '17 rehearsing and refining the new material, which was the result of four years of a relentless pursuit of progression both as a songwriting and performing unit. Finally, in May of '17, Five of the Eyes went to the best studio in Maine, The Halo. Together with producer Jonathon Wyman, they recorded and mixed The Venus Transit in twelve days. Wyman pushed the band to experiment sonically, to be decisive creatively, and to perform at a high level. The result exceeded the band's expectations, and they were thrilled. The record was mastered by Adam Ayan of Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine, and a release date was set for
September 2017. The Venus Transit sees the band finding their sound and pulling no punches along the way. It definitively establishes Five of the Eyes as a force to be reckoned with; both live and in the studio.
