Wolf Eyes – Burned Mind / 2004 Sub Pop / 10 Tracks / http://www.subpop.com/bands/wolfeyes / http://www.subpop.com / Reviewed 01 May 2005

The noise that Wolf Eyes puts on a disc is not so much music as it is a shuffling mish-mash of different noise, electronic and organic. “Stabbing in the Face” is an example of what would happen if Marilyn Manson would make if eir was united with Khanate or Ed Gein. The band is only three individuals (John, Nate and Aaron), an impressive fact considering the volume of noise that is created on all tracks on “Burned Mind”. Tracks can come or go just as vocals can on “Burned Mind”, but I would contend that all of the tracks on this disc are necessarily instrumental, for the vocals are not used in the traditional (lyric) way as much as they are yet another instrument on the top of the pile. There is not as much of a framework for “Wolf Eyes” as there are three individuals that ride a groove for a certain period of time, after which they just shut off the track. This is showcased best in the extremes of the disc; the 47-second “Urine Burn” and the 8:14 “Black Vomit”. Musically, this disc is not that impressive, but as a very Penderecki-esque type type of composition the disc’s full beauty can be shown. There are some structures in the disc, as the use of repetition in tracks like “Burned Mind”, using a bass-heavy sample to stand for the percussion, show.

One of the shorter tracks on “Burned Mind”, “Ancient Delay” is perhaps the most accessible of Wolf Eyes tracks to be found. A creepy atmosphere is created by the use of synthesizer and the typical samples, with bird-like noises creating a natural sound in what is a completely artificial environment. This same bird-type sound is present in “Ancient Delay”, a track that drops all pretensions and just places the listeners in a completely fictive, electronic (replete with buzzing) environment. The track’s extreme length allows for Wolf Eyes to slowly create tension that will give listeners a complete shock after it is built up. A normal stereo will not do “Black Vomit” justice, as some of the sections of the track are just destined to shake the foundations of a house instead of the tinny speakers of a portable CD player. This is noise, but really accessible to a larger fanbase than most noise bands usually can garner. Three kids make a lot of noise, and at the end of the disc, chances are good that “Burned Mind” will find its way back into CD players.

Top Tracks: Black Vomit, Dead in a Boat

Rating: 5.9/10