Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Birmingham, Alabama’s Ember dropped their 3-song ‘261‘ EP back in December of 2016. The band channels a potent blend of hypnotic doom and ethereally-tinged sludge on the offering, with an ample influx of Post-Metal vibes tossed in for good measure. One of the best highlights of the band is the airy, sultry female vocals that permeate nearly every fiber of this effort.
The five souls at the heart of Ember are singer Crystal Bigelow, drummer Eric Bigelow, bassist Jeremy Allen, and guitarists Jon Reid and Justin Treece.
Ember covers a lot of musical territory on these tracks: “7th Circle,” “Niche,” and “Living Bones (Dying Flesh)“. The first is a hugely Southern-infused riff-driven rager of heavy doom with a bit of bluesy nuance. It unfurled itself in a quite foreboding way early on, but once Crystal’s singing enters, things settle into a beastly crush of rhythms and trippier touches.
The second song is another killer track crafted around the power of the riff, albeit a bit more uptempo than its predecessor. Soon enough, it too throttles down into a hazy flow, one occasionally augmented by some harsher-toned, effect-heavy male vocals and crushing music. The third – and final – cut immediately veers into more metal-oriented realms before wielding some unusual guitar tones. Crystal’s seemingly operatically-trained vocals truly soar and shine on this one, currently my favorite track.
If you’re a fan of more traditionally centered doom with a sludge tinting on it, then Ember’s ‘261‘ EP is something you should definitely check out. The quintet has crafted an emotionally fueled offering driven by fantastic guitar fueling, fluid rhythms, and cohesive drumming. It’s all made even more noticeable by the amazing vocals. Check it out for yourself via the Bandcamp embed below.
Ember on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ember_rock_band
Ember on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ember_band/
Ember on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/
