My Epic has released Ultraviolet, the first of a two part ep concept series exploring faith and things that are too big to be understood with the second part, Violence, to be released in late 2018.
While calling Fredericksburg, VA home for now, My Epic has its roots in North Carolina and trace their beginning as a band under that name to 2005. In 2006, the band released their first ep, This is Rescue and the first album was in 2008 with I Am Undone being released on Dreamt Music an imprint of Facedown Records. In 2010, the band released their follow up album, Yet, which saw the band end up on the Heatseekers charts, similar to the follow up, Behold, in 2013.
As projects go, My Epic has taken on dealing with things which are beyond what we can see and know, and things that we do see but can’t fit into our paradigm. Certainly big questions and from a larger perspective, Ultraviolet seems a perfect fit for one side of the story. Chiming guitars, layers and layers of sound and atmosphere that seems very far from the worlds of metal or punk. Vocals are smooth and calming and provide just the right atmosphere for the introspective, questioning lyrics. In many ways, this reminds me a bit of some of the ambient black metal projects I love so much, but in this case keyboards, electronic effects, and clean guitars provide the background.
Within the airy landscape, there are moments of where heaviness is straining to come through, Jessie Stone’s drums in “So Be It” become really pronounced along with Jeremiah Austin’s bass and those two really carry the track all the while preserving a strong sense of melody and providing a perfect backdrop for the layered guitars and keyboards. Great example of a song that on the surface seems similar the previous ones on the album but delivers a much harder punch. The drums and bass continue their influence on the sound on “In Absentia” as well and at this point, it becomes apparent that there is a tension building on the ep as the songs progress. The tension building comes to a head in the closing track “Two Nights” with some distortion making an appearance into the song from time to time and the song in general becoming louder and closing with some heavy chords ringing out.
In this two part look at faith and the big questions we face in life, My Epic has chosen to start out with a quieter, more introspective look but the building tension in the ep perhaps hints at the direction the second part, Violence, will take. While straying fairly far from metal, those who find enjoyment in some of the ambient black metal projects and those with pop sensibilities (likely hidden ones, haha), will find Ultraviolet an enjoyable and potentially thought-provoking listen.
Rating: 8/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
1. Of Wilderness
2. Voices
3. So Be It
4. In Absentia
5. Two Nights
Band Members
Aaron Stone – vocals, guitar
Jesse Stone – drums, vocals
Jeremiah Austin – bass
Tanner Morita – guitar, keyboard, vocals
Record Label: Facedown/Dreamt Records
Release Date: 30th. March 2018
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Video for ‘Voices’
Lyric video for ‘Of Wilderness’