Eulcid - The Wind Blew All The Fires Out

Continuing from my previous post on New Idea Society, and Mike Law in specific, I figured I'd post on his previous band Eulcid. The Wind Blew All The Fires Out (2000) sits pretty well in the post-hardcore genre, lots of discordant guitar and abrupt shifts, though not enough to weaken the song structures and continuity. The Boston group was composed of Law on guitar and vocals, Matt Redmond on drums, and Chris Rache on bass. As a band they existed between 1988 and 2002, when the members splintered off. There's definitely an element of Fugazi in here, and the band did open for them in Boston, and some of that Boston metal/hardcore sound (Converge/Kid Kilowatt) in the instrumental portion.


Eulcid - "Reaction Impulse Theory"

This is the first track on the album and is a pretty good introduction into the band's sound. Drums lead right into jagged vocals and steady guitar and bass, that finally relent, though the drumming keeps active all the time. A wall of guitar briefly allows the bass to take prominence for a short interlude than back into the jagged vocals and guitar, until Law's line, "...I move too slow" indicates a change in both instrumentation and vocals, a calming little bit of the song, before the final minute of the song which goes in many directions (and can be quite rewarding if followed).

The flow from one song to another is a strength within this album, and
unfortunately not something I'm able to really demonstrate here as the next song I'm posting occurs later in the album. But on the album this first song "Reaction Impulse Theory" runs right into, "To The Death Of Intellectualism", which slides right into "Single Sender". Its very well done and obviously a conscious effort to linking the album as a whole was made.


Eulcid - "The Ocean Vs. The Sand"

Here's a bit of a departure, a song that moves a bit slower than the others, similar to the title track on the album in its pacing and structure. The guitar sores over the bass and drums, leading the way and adventuring off on its own. The drum beat remains a creative little play on the snare throughout the background. The instruments come together for a few lines then fall back into the pattern already described. The vocals are sung with a bit softer edge relative to the rest of the album. I enjoy how the song just seems to end and has a moment of silence before the final song of the album starts.

Most of the songs are complex in that they pack many individual yet cogent parts. Certainly something that is best listened to intently to fully enjoy. Following this release was Hope: And Songs To Sing there last release and in some ways a bridge from Eulcid to New Idea Society in regards to Mike Law's musical development.