Time Signature The eye of needle...

Genre: atmospheric sludge metal

French metal act Klone is perhaps among the internationally more obscure acts from the French scene despite the fact that they have several releases under their belt. Hopefully this EP will help them gain more status internationally and give them the spot in the limelight that they definitely deserve.

Described as an alternative metal band, Klone strike me as being more than that on this EP. The two tracks do admittedly sound inspired by the likes of Alice In Chains and, to some extent also Soundgarden, but there is a much more prevalent feel of both post-metal and sludge metal on this release, which is also much more progressive and even avant-garde than most other alternative metal acts.

"The Eye of Needle, Part 1" is a fairly mellow 10 minutes plus affair which emphasizes heavy beats and a dark atmosphere with plenty of emphasis on vocal melodies. Granted, there are distorted guitars on this track, but these mostly take the backseat serving primarily to help generate the dark and oppressive atmosphere that characterizes this track by providing slightly dissonant textures and heavy doomy riffage. Slowly working its way through its 10 minutes of song length, "The Eye of Needle, Part 1" may test the patience of some listeners, but if you like dark and atmospheric music to lose yourself in, then chances are that you will love this tune. "The Eye of Needle, Part 2" is, while stile atmospheric and dark, slightly more aggressive with its basic groovy drive and inclusion of more thrashy riffage in the second half – neatly countered by ambient synth effects.

Definitely an interesting listen across the board, perhaps the most attractive aspect of this EP is the use of a rather avant-garde saxophone courtesy of Matthieu Metzger, who also provides the keyboards and electronic effects.

The production is very professional, but there is a lot of reverb across the board. Now, while this might be annoying to some listeners, I am sure that the massive amount of reverb is the result of a conscious choice, because it does definitely serve the purpose of making the already atmospheric EP seem even more atmospheric and ambient.

Fans of post-metal and more atmospheric sludge metal along the lines of, say, Ghost Brigade should definitely not hesitate to acquire this fine piece of dark, heavy and expressive music.

(review originally posted as seaoftranquility.org)

Xaxaar I've never heard of Klone before this EP came out, but I must say it does inspire me to check out more of their discog. With obvious influences like Tool, Isis, and Devin Townsend (at least his more mellow stuff), this is one of the most well-done EPs I have heard. The album consists of two tracks, "The Eye of Needle (Part 1)" and "The Eye of Needle (Part 2)."

The Eye of Needle (Part 1) - I prefer this track over the second part. It's the calmer one of the two. It kicks off the EP with an ambient intro, setting up the whole mood of the album. The small orchestral element they add also helps the mood and this is very important. Since this album really isn't trying to be wow you with its technical prowess, it's good that it sets up an excellent atmosphere. The song structure seems very reflective of most post metal songs, meaning it starts off very collected and then hits a climax towards the last few minutes of the song. And as most of the song is in 4/4, it does throw in some odd rhythms once and a while. It's a very nice set-up to the more fast-paced (relatively speaking, of course) The Eye of Needle (Part 2).

The Eye of Needle (Part 2) - As it may not be as good as the first part, it's not bad by any means. It starts off a shuffle groove ,something I don't hear very often in this type of music, but it does work, I assure you. All though it is still not my favorite part of the song. Once the the drummer starts playing on the toms is when the song starts to get really good for me. Once again, maintaining that atmosphere that the album really never loses, but while still being interesting.

All in all, a very good EP and look forward to hearing more of Klone.