If Ved Buens Ende reformed as a doom-infused chamber ensemble fronted by an opera singer, the results wouldn’t be far off from Eye of Nix. Since its inception in 2012, the Seattle quintet has played its stylistic nexus with everyone from Voivod to Alcest. Beyond Joy Von Spain’s virtuosic voice and the atmospheric guitar riffs from her and Nicholas Martinez, things get even weirder with Zach Wise’s unorthodox bass lines, drummer Luke Laplante’s odd time signatures and Masaaki Masao’s keyboard ornamentation. On its third full-length, Eye of Nix’s baroque black/doom metal gets a much better production value. Even with a more sterilized mix, Ligeia remains otherworldly in its bizarre beauty.
Opener “Concealing Waters” eases into a pool of swelling synths and shimmering guitar chords. Spain’s rapturous voice leads the band from chopy toms-toms and dissonant chords to a crashing wave of tremolo picking and blast beats. Even when Spain screams bloody murder over the aural surge, Eye of Nix retains a pleasing aesthetic akin to early Lantlôs’ post-black metal.
The balance of cavernous eeriness and mesmerizing melody carries over onto the jagged syncopation and guttural growls at the start of “Pursued.” Eye of Nix certainly brings a lot of technicality to the table, but palpable emotion remains of utmost importance. This is why the Ved Buens Ende comparison works so well. While the band displays unprecedented musical chops, Ligeia’s never loses its backbone of passionate, immersive soundscapes.
It’s hard to call a song like “Tempest” heavy in the traditional sense. Entrancing elegance becomes the nucleus of the song's bombastic nine-count rhythm structure, as pristine keyboard melodies and angelic singing cut through the mix like beams of light. While certainly dark and mysterious, the effect never becomes grating. Take the neo-folk elements of “Stranded” for instance. Demure acoustic guitar, chiming piano, and whispery vocals give way to a spiraling cacophony of witchy shrieks and evolving drums, but Eye of Nix uses both extremes to engulf the senses, not pulverize them.
This isn’t to say Ligeia can’t get scary, like the impregnable wall of dissonant modulations and tumbling percussion that builds around a pulsing bass drum on “Keres.” Given the amazing drum tones and overall mix, Eye of Nix's hellish sound pallet remains accessible—even when it devolves into a pandemonium of damned voices and oceanic static.
Rather than contrast its harsh and pleasant sides, Eye of Nix revels in cross-pollination—as exemplified in the title track. Laplante’s detailed drumming coaxes the band from orchestral post-rock to geysers of chilling black metal and chasms of introspective doom. In every case, Spain’s full-on wretches remain as nuanced as her spectral singing. In the same way, Masao always finds a way to accentuate melodic ideas and fill out soundscapes with his samples and synth lines. The way keyboards, bass, guitar, and voice come together for the pristine mood piece “Adrift” shows how carefully Ligeia is put together. Taking away the weird metal would leave gorgeous ambiance, and taking away the ambiance leaves inventive, riff-happy metal.
Eye of Nix’s closing statement “Stone & Fury” provides an incredible realization of the band’s potential. Spain’s most terrifying vocal work to date permeates some of Nicholas’ doomiest riffs, yet the bulk of the track centers on a captivating crescendo of clean guitar strains, evolving rhythms, and ghastly shrieks. It might end with a harsh noise wall, but even the most testing passages of Ligeia remain transfixing in their quasi-orchestral textures.
Listening to Ligeia feels like wading through a river during a warm, misty evening. The experience isn’t without its unsettling atmosphere, but it’s easy to allow oneself to drift away in the currents. It also doesn't hurt to have a musical guide like Eye of Nix to help navigate the strange currents.
Score: 8/10
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