The Amber Drift - The Eternal Ecurrence Demo

The Amber Drift

The Eternal Ecurrence Demo
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Andrew Westberry

Haunting synthesizers hover above the driving intro of “Control” the first track on The Amber Drift’s The Eternal Recurrence Demo, and as the track builds throughout its eight minutes, the droning synths are joined by driving power chords on electric guitars, gravelly, reverbed vocals and solid, fast-paced percussion on a standard drum set. The vocals put forth by The Amber Drift’s shift between tonal and rhythmic spoken word, which dominates the tone of the songs.

The next track “Shame” is extremely similar in style and sound to “Control” but the lyrics portray a different feeling, and the chorus of this song is major, giving the tune a brighter aura. Warbling synths and blaring guitars lead the chorus of instruments in this song, which degenerate into nothingness, leaving a repeating sample of static-y, lo-fi sounds to slowly fade until the song ends.

“Rebirth” introduces new sounds to the mix, including a distorted synth lead that carries the melody for many of the instrumental portions of the song. This track is the most harmonious of the album and even though it is very long and somewhat repetitive, its melodic nature and intriguing lyrics make it a true highlight of the album.

The album makes a slight shift in style in “Uncertainty” replacing experimental chording and abstract tones for a classic rock n’ roll beat and more conventional chording and riffs by electric guitars. The Amber Drift continues to infuse its unquestionably unique style into the song while simultaneously employing tested techniques to create a successful song.

Returning to the more experimental styles, The Eternal Recurrence Demo comes to an end with “Return,” full of piercing, sunny guitar chords and “Sense,” a dark track that harkens back to the first few songs on the album. Overall, the demo continually alters its sound just enough to keep the listener interested without abandoning the central themes and motifs that give The Amber Drift its distinct sound. This demo is definitely indicative of more great things to come.

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