Album review: EYES – Spinner

When the first proper tune on Spinner kicks in, it’s immediately apparent that this is a different version of EYES. Precise, hammering drums, crunchy guitars and vitriolic, shrieking vocals ensure this song is Better by name, metal by nature. If there are still hints of noise rock in the Danish band’s DNA, it’s armour-plated in strength and power, delivered with punk swagger in bite-sized, hardcore-shaped chunks. Better is one minute and one second long, which proves plenty of time to make a compelling case for this cataclysmic new direction.

On Spinner, EYES frequently recall sonic trailblazers of the ‘00s heavy scene: Cancer Bats or Every Time I Die injecting gonzo swing into the hectic racket of Dillinger or Converge. Elsewhere, the brilliantly-titled Moving Day For The Overton Window rides a groove similar to modern day noiseniks Chat Pile or Pissed Jeans, while Save Face On A Regular Basis recruits the typically demented vocal presence of KEN Mode man Jesse Mathewson on a tune which calls back to the band’s older style.

It might not be immediately apparent, despite the wrong-footing J-Pop intro OP1, but Spinner is influenced by anime and manga, its lyrics populated by a cast of characters based on the experiences and self-analysis of singer Victor Kaas. And while there’s defiance here, as in Better’s ‘I will never apologise for being unlike you,’ there’s also much darkness. The tension between this traumatic reflection, a heavy dose of black humour and the consistently shit-kicking music makes the strongest argument for this being the best record EYES have spun so far.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Every Time I Die, Show Me The Body, Chat Pile

Spinner is out now via Prosthetic