There's not a whole lot you can say about Angel Eyes that hasn't already been said about Isis. If Isis were an actual person, Angel Eyes would be its impressionable, suppler younger brother. The latter always gazing starry-eyed at the former with a love and devotion to rival the strongest of bonds. Ok, that's a stretch, but they really do sound like Isis, with an almost unnatural (but wholly valid) obsession with Ennio Morricone. This all isn't a bad thing. It's tough to do get that whole heavy ambient thing down without being boring as shit.
The tracks sound a bit more raw than their genre may be used to, but that's all part of the tasty goodness. Sometimes you can only take so much wall-of-sound plodding instrumental metal before you zone out and start absent-mindedly watching leopards on Animal Planet. It's that lull into submission that can make even the heaviest music sound about as memorable as a Grisham novel. Believe me when I say this, my friends - this Chi-Town four piece know how to lay it all out, work all the right spots and take their sweet, sweet time doing it. Don't believe me? The album, Something to Do With Death has four songs. Three songs between thirteen and eighteen minutes long, and a five-minute quickie that all may sound daunting but will leave you wanting more. Like oral sex or Life cereal.
The other main point of contention I have with the genre is the delusions of grandeur a lot of the bands have. The way of ignorant thinking that if it's long, it's automatically epic. Angel Eyes don't have that ridiculous sense of self-importance thank God. Just a seeming love for the music that just oozes from the speakers. I hate to keep drawing on comparisons, but to give credit where credit is due; Angel Eyes exceeds the likes of Isis in one very important area. The vocals. Straying from the typically one-dimensional screaming is a rare and welcome sound that sets them apart and puts them in a class all their own. This is still a very young band that's probably a sweet little secret for many Chicago residents, but it's about time they came out from the long shadow of the Sears Tower and let everyone know who they are.
