Evil Eye by Clouds Taste Satanic
Recorded & Mixed by Ben Rice, Degraw Sound
Mastered by Alan Douches, West West Side Music
Art by Goatess Doomwych
STONER HIVE:
"Instrumental music sucks big time – boring jamming that no one wants to hear, recorded and presented as an album. You lazy fuckers, do not waste my time. And then something comes along to change your mind. Never listened to Clouds Taste Satanic before but was sent a promo and decided to give it a five minute spin ….. which turned into playing the whole thing, getting to the end and starting again. These guys just do it right. Expansive soundscapes carry you along – in my head I am riding a skeletal horse across a blasted city ruin being trailed by mutated wolves and shambling cannibal women who are strangely sexy. Stunning guitar work and song composition make me want this piped directly into my ears at all times. This is the good shit."
CVLT NATION:
"On Evil Eye, Clouds Taste Satanic have gone down the whole hog of the Bell Witch path, with two chunky pieces brought together on the one album, starting with the title track itself before moving on to ‘Pagan Worship’. The grooves register on ‘Evil Eye’ easily with power, poise and purpose, albeit at a modest pace, once the heavy psych opening has faded. While the dual guitar battles of Steve Scavuzzo and Brian Bauhs drive the sound forward, Sean Bay’s grasscutter bass is no less significant. Such are some of the broad spirals untangled by their ambitious riff assault that Clouds Taste Satanic lean more towards sonic Stoner slabs than debilitating doom. Greg Acampora is content to quite literally take the back seat for large phases of the instrumental wizardry but his impact when delivered from behind his kit is both timely and thoughtful. The track is at times reminiscent of Scott Carlson’s inspired recent solo release, Conquistador, haunting and uplifting, frequently on the same brush of the strings, while the final transcendental climb to the summit is little short of spine-tingling."
HEAD-BANGER REVIEWS:
"There are many things that have made this band as delicious as they’ve become in recent years after honing their craft from the escalating riffs to the constant energy to a beautiful variety across tracks that rarely slip beneath six minutes and it’s only recently that Clouds Taste Satanic refuses to go far below fourteen. And it’s with “Evil Eye” that we get two mammoth tracks about twenty minutes each to give this EP a fantastic 40-minute runtime filled with riffs, ripping solos, and a gloriously devilish theme to make this EP yet another excellent addition to this band’s discography as well as making this EP one of the most exemplary doom performances 2019 has thus far thrown our way. Through many peaks and valleys, “Evil Eye” delivers to us yet another tantalizing exhibit of what it means to perform doom at some of its best and it’s only fitting that Clouds Taste Satanic should deliver us that very material that’s still got me in a heavy daze."
SUPER DANK METAL JAMS:
"Behold your doom and gaze into the Evil Eye! Brooklyn quartet Clouds Taste Satanic have convened once again to unleash upon the world more epic stoner doom that will have you offering yourself up on the alter in reverence for these wicked tunes! It's packed full of arcane secrets, sinister twists, and diabolical tunes - enough to have you writhing around on the floor in a fit of madness as hellish visions dance delightedly through your head. The title track brings in dreary terror and synthesized chants - what I assume would be the sound of your soul dissolving as you descend into hell. Guitar leads jammed all over the place herald the wicked glories of the underworld as rhythmic riffs hammer away, plodding through the darkness. But around 15 minutes in, the tone shifts to something much more uplifting and a little bit more trippy as you're embraced by a light and you seem to ascend to a higher plane and leave hell behind - damn, the solo here really brings to mind some killer classic rock guitar jams. But you won't be feeling holy for too long because the second tract on here "Pagan Worship" dumps you right back into the occult with wavering eerie lines mashed up with quintessential stoner doom riffing leading to some psychedelic-tinged foreboding tunes. As the song goes on, it slows down, casually wandering through a building field of tension, even as a few jazzy bits peak in. Drums start stoking the flames, warning of imminent danger, leading up to the final, devilish, shrieking jam on the LP. Fuck, this one is a wild ride- an instant classic!"
DESERT PSYCHLIST:
" As the last notes of "Evil Eye" fade into silence you will suddenly come to the realization that you have sat through forty minutes plus of heavy, complex and intense instrumental doom without once wishing for the introduction of an impassioned howl or grizzled bellow, this is the beauty of Clouds Taste Satanic they make music that transcends the need for vocals or lyrics, a band who let their instruments create the drama and emotion and then leave it to their listeners imaginations to do the rest
Check it out …"
MERCHANTS OF AIR:
"Fans of acts like Earth, Bongzilla and Pelican will certainly appreciate these lengthy narrative tunes. I know I do. Like I said, these guys never disappoint. 'Evil Eye' is simply the next step in the elaborate sonic world they create, and a brilliant one as well."
DOOMED & STONED:
"There are distinctive elements in every Clouds Taste Satanic album that makes it stand out from its companions. Evil Eye, for example, has moments I would describe as almost jazzy. Certainly, a strong progressive vibe (as in classic seventies proggy rock) pervades this wicked 40-minute ride. As the previous albums have all found purpose and organization around certain themes, so Evil Eye dances in the inspiration of ancient magic, specifically lesser and greater magic (I’ll leave it to the band to explain those concepts below). Having listened to it several times over now, Evil Eye feels like the doom metal answer to Disney’s Fantasia (which, let’s be honest, was pretty doomy to begin with, with its dark Stokowski-driven score)."
OUTLAWS OF THE SUN:
"Evil Eye is one of the best albums that Cloud Tastes Satanic have released to date. You would think after 5 albums the band would start to lose their hunger for creating new sounds. NOPE. Evil Eye feels like Clouds Taste Satanic are only getting started and the Doom/Stoner Metal audience is theirs for the taking. The production is superb and allows Cloud Tastes Satanic music to be frighteningly too real at times. Overall, Clouds Taste Satanic have created a FUCKING MONSTER with this album. Excellent and Highly Recommended."
DENPA FUZZ:
"Inspired by the book "the theory and practice of satanic magic", the monstrous sound walls that build with their riffs would make Lucifer pale. Black Magic scattered by disturbing atmospheres in which terror is appeased based on a good dose of hallucinogens. A spell with which you get a really brilliant result."
BOSTON ROCK RADIO:
“Evil Eye” is generous, somewhat lilting in its gloom but wicked enough to not have you nodding off. “Pagan Worship” is worthy of any ritualized metal where you literally feel you could walk into a church of the blackened arts."
LA HABITACION 235:
"With the traditional foundations of the well-positioned doom , "Evil Eye" connects with diverse genres, from the most atmospheric to the abrasive, but always from its instrumental side. Their new work is a walk through a delicacy of genres that we talk about daily as the daily bread, but with the great strength of having an unbeatable composition, to make their long tracks an unforgettable journey that ends up being short. Without a doubt, the new Clouds Taste Satanic is the answer to a great progress behind it and with an incessant period of work in the last five years."
AVE NOCTUM:
“Evil Eye” is an interesting listen. The band manage to weave a tapestry of sounds that keep things reasonably fresh although they never threaten to surprise with the unexpected. One for switching off the lights and letting your mind wander and escape."
HARDROCKHEAVYMETAL:
"GRANDILOQUENT DOOM, PSYCH DROPS, SOLOS TO REMIND..ANOTHER GREAT SHOT!!"
THE RIPPLE EFFECT:
"close your eyes and let your mind run wild with imagination and visit the dark recesses you never go."
ORANGE MAZE:
"I can go on and on and talk about great guitar riffs or solo’s, stunning drum parts or basslines on this record. But to be able to set such an great atmosphere is a much more impressive strength as a band. Evil Eye truly is a great accomplishment. The Brooklyn based band will probably release another record this year so we won’t have to wait long for more CTS greatness."
THE PIT OF THE DAMNED:
"I can say that 'Evil Eye', the fifth CTS album, reconfirms the extraordinary talents and the excellent form of the American band, which has always been keen on gigantic instrumental compositions with liquid, always highly sought-after lysergic evolutions. The qualities and the knowledge on the subject are very high, with the notes always in the balance between Karma to Burn and the Shrinebuilder doomsters, for a sound giant that can be raised to a potential reference point for the genre in question. Then add a graphic design that is always extremely accurate and recognizable, just like their unique and unmistakable musical style, with years of experience and an enviable discography. A spectacular and welcome return for an album not to be missed!"
VERBAL AGGRESSION:
"Keeping your attention these days is hard enough without being instrumental and writing 20+ minute songs! Somehow Clouds Taste Satanic pull it off spectacularly, not only keeping your attention but keeping you on the edge of your seat as to which way they will twist into next. Whether they are banging out an Acrimony-like bruising groove or noodling off into a universe inhabited by Earthless, Clouds Taste Satanic gel it together to create an almighty psychedelic doom album equally at home now or back in those glorious olden days. Utterly marvelous!"
WORLD OF METAL:
"It doesn't take much to please us but on the other hand we are fond of the most peculiar things. Like the work of New Yorker's, Clouds Taste Satanic. Instrumental doom that presents us with only two songs. There is good old fashion, side A and side B. And this is one of those trips that is impossible to remain indifferent. And before we think that “Evil Eye” enters the psychedelic fields and that there are many “sausages” here to reach the twenty minute mark, we have to say that this is not where the band embarks. In fact, those who know the previous albums know precisely what to expect in terms of quality. This is one of those huge albums, impossible to be indifferent to."
FLYING FIDDLESTICKS:
"In the first of two releases last year, there are two songs, about twenty minutes each. “Evil Eye” is as creepy and sinister as the title implies, creating an atmosphere of dread and a constant feeling of peril and impending disaster. It is like listening to a dramatic, horror-filled play. “Pagan Worship” is more solemn and casts the mind’s eye toward a broader spectrum of endeavor with an under-bite of sadness. It is also fraught with inevitability, especially in the second half."
Tracklist
| 1. | Evil Eye | 19:54 |
| 2. | Pagan Worship | 20:48 |
