Eidola // Eviscerate
I’ve known about Eidola for a long time, but for some reason I totally wrote them off. I heard a song or two and decided they weren’t for me. Well, that was a mistake. As Shaq would say, “I owe you an apology. I wasn’t really familiar with your game.”
To be fair, after going back through their catalogue, I do think this is Eidola’s best album so far, and that’s probably why it won me over so easily. It’s just a blast to listen to.
Eidola’s sound fits under the general “swancore” genre. It makes sense – they’re signed to Blue Swan Records, the label founded by Will Swan, lead guitarist and general tastemaker of Dance Gavin Dance. So it should come as no surprise that, like all swancore bands, Eidola has some similarities to Dance Gavin Dance.
That being said, Eidola differentiates themselves in a few ways. The main one is their singer, Andrew Wells. He is incredibly talented, bordering on angelic at times, but he is more grounded than Tilian (DGD’s singer). If you’ve ever wished that Tilian would just tone it down a little, you’re going to love Eidola. Andrew Wells is super impressive, but he’s more subtle about it. He also has some pretty solid screams that he adds every once in a while.
Eidola is also a bit more cohesive in terms of how their songs fit together. There are fewer experimental, “out there” moments, but that provides a smoother listening experience than the last couple DGD albums. Matthew Dommer, their screamer, also provides meaningful lyrics that build the story of each song, which is definitely different from the nonsense that Jon Mess is always on about (even though we all love it).
By far my favorite songs on this album are “No Weapon Formed Shall Prosper” and “Who of You Will Persevere?” Both tracks have incredible choruses and I really like the dynamic between the cleans and screams. There’s a sense of journey as the songs progress. “No Weapon Formed Shall Prosper” especially builds a sense of tension.
As a final note, we might see a lot more of Andrew Wells in the future. He officially joined Dance Gavin Dance as their rhythm guitarist in 2021 after touring with them for several years, and he filled in as their singer when Tilian stepped away from the band in 2022. Well in case you didn’t know, Tilian was just kicked out of DGD, and it seems like a strong possibility that Andrew Wells might permanently fill that gap. I’m not sure how to say this, but Tilian brought a certain sex appeal to DGD’s image. Andrew Wells is also an extremely handsome guy that would easily maintain that same image.
He would obviously have huge shoes to fill vocally, and I’m not sure if he can hit the highs that Tilian can, but he is talented enough to make it work. He’s probably better suited for songs from the Jonny Craig era. But that’s the thing, DGD has had so many different eras, and we’re moving into a new post-Tilian era. Nobody knows how things will turn out, but DGD has made miracles happen before.
