.::SCRATCHtheSurface Webzine::.: Echoes of Yul

Elongated drones with distant, scratchy voice samples that mutate around the tone are generally a brave introduction to a collection of recorded music. If however, the listener favours the innovative and the experimental, then “Octagon”, the first track on “Cold Ground” is stirring news. Echoes of Yul, essentially Michal Sliwa and Mateusz Czech, originate from Opole in Poland, and will challenge the listener with this latest release which can broadly be described as disquieting. “Foundations” is a writhing collusion of extended guitar riffs, drones and vocal samples that stalk the listener’s subconscious, upsetting them further with passages of dissonance and anguish.

Echoes of Yul are a two-piece act from Opale, Poland dwelling in a sound balanced between a relatively minimal and trace-inducing down-tempo akin to Jesu and the eerie discordant noise of Godflesh. The convergence of influences from two of the most prominent projects of one Justin K. Broadrick is for the most part extremely enjoyable with the duo comprised of Michal Sliwa and Jarek Lesklewicz presenting us a slow, minimal and repetitive style, with pleasant and simple melodies permeating a disturbing atmosphere punctuated with cryptic electronic effects.
Opening song ‘Midget’ forays into the ethereal territory of Jesu. Displaying an intriguing sonic ambience coupled with gentle acoustic chords and a droning, discordant guitar sound that suddenly erupts into an infectious riff cycling endlessly over and over, inducing you into a trance-like state. Curiously, that same riff is rehashed again on a brief instrumental called ‘Everyone’s Midget’.
Then there are songs that lean on a more industrial vibe like ‘From Infinity to Infinity’, which starts abruptly with death grunts, harsh, discordant riffs and a heavily distorted bass bringing memories of the bizarre sonic landscapes of the defunct Godflesh.
Words are rarely used in Echoes of Yul’s compositions, and they come mostly in the form of grunts, screams, spoken, sampled and effect-processed. The funeral-paced ‘Ape’ and the weird ‘Open’ for instance are fairly dominated by sampled voices.
The patterns Echoes of Yul evoke can also be quite hypnotic sometimes and when added with eerie and bizarre effects it gains a haunting and disturbing atmosphere. ‘Walking Skeletons’, probably my favourite song of the album flows in such manner. It starts with a repetitive and infectious bass line, which gradually gets the company of a low-fi droning sound and gentle drums, slowly building in tension to a point where guitars pick up that same repetitive melody, while grunts and screams are added to increase the tension.
If you’re into challenging music that dwells in extremes, with a trance-inducing doom contrasting with eerie segments of noise, Echoes of Yul is definitely a band to keep an eye on. (7.5/10)

David Alexandre

Band info: www.myspace.com/echoesofyul