My Eyes Inside - Anatomy of Ties

Upon listening to the initial riffs of “Road to the Ground”, you might think that My Eyes Inside are just playing more of that aggro-thrash metal that is in vogue these days, but then comes a quieter and atmospheric section that adds a post-metal element to the proceedings, making them sound like a bastard offspring between someone like Lamb of God and Isis. I confess I was a bit confused by their diverse and ambitious sonority, not entirely sure of which style or genre would My Eyes Inside fit in the most.
The entire album from this Portuguese act is characterised by this continuous shift between violent/calm sections, which is the modus operandi of numerous of artsy post-metal bands influenced by Neurosis and Isis, so that’s a way of looking at them. However, there are a couple of nuances spread throughout “Anatomy of Ties” that prevents them from being labelled as another NeurIsis act. There’s a strong progressive element entrenched in their sound with a series of complex riffs and clean guitar bits that reminds me of Opeth on some occasions. The dynamic vocalizations divided between growls and clean vocals also reflect an influence from the Swedes, but don’t always work in their favour. I’m not sure who does the cookie monster growls, but they sound terribly forced and uncharacteristic, however the clean voice of Andre Cordeiro shows some promise and could easily develop into one of the greatest aspects of My Eyes Inside if he could imbue more strength and confidence into his performance.
There aren't any songs on here that particularly stand out, but there are several moments that make me think this band is onto something. I believe there’s promise in My Eyes Inside, they just need to gain more maturity and finesse in the arrangements. (5.5/10)

David Alexandre

Band info: www.myspace.com/myeyesinside