Enos ‘Chapter 1’ CDEP 2010
Where most stoner bands regale their listeners with tales of drunken debauchery, fast cars, drug exploits…etc, Brighton’s Enos emerge with a totally different concept. Enos was a chimpanzee that in 1961 was launched into space as the first animal to complete an orbit of the Earth only to return with a radically amended and much calmer personality. Enos the band have not only named themselves after the chimp, this first EP is a concept piece based around that legendary flight and, not only is it an EP, there is a also a complimentary comic book produced by the band…and all of this is available for free!!! They are truly spoiling us!!!
So, it may seem like an odd concept but damn if they don’t pull the whole thing off in some serious style!!! Musically Enos tread a similar path to bands such as Orange Goblin at the heavier end of the stoner metal spectrum but dress it up with a spacey Nebula meets Hawkwind air of psychedelia. Opening track “Launch” (obviously) is a headlong charge of needle sharp riffs and throat ripping vocals that segues neatly into “In Space”. This is where the band really shows their versatility as mighty riffs crash into delicate acoustic passages and tasteful old school blues solos. There is far more to these guys than beer swilling party rock and roll as they deliver a sound that is expansive and majestic yet soulful. “Floating” comes over like prime Pink Floyd being given a royal arse raping by Sleep…spacey passages and Gilmore inspired leads give way to a monolithic wall of riffs then drift back again, somehow capturing the unique vibe of hanging in the infinity of space.
Now we find ourselves on the journey home as “Transform” starts burning up through the atmosphere with an amped up, phased out rush that could have sat very happily alongside anything on Orange Goblin’s “The Big Black” album (perhaps it’s no coincidence that some of these guys are also behind the fantastic Thee Big Black website…www.theebigblack.com). Finally we are “Back On Earth” and back in the Floyd meets doom territory that the band seem to do so well as they take us from enlightenment to oppression and back again with some fantastic lead playing that shows how important each note can be as opposed to how many you can play.
It is refreshing to hear a band attempting something a little different within the boundaries of stoner metal and offering up a high quality package that is inventive, classy and powerful. It seems that more and more bands are able to take control of their output and Enos are showing how it’s possible to do this and stretch the envelope to reveal a broader vision. I would happily pay for this EP but as it’s free what excuse have you really got for not grabbing a copy…do it now!!!
Label: Self Released
Website: http://enosthechimp.bandcamp.com/
Scribed by: Ollie Stygall
