Since I’m seeing YOB in Atlanta in just over a week and a half, what better way to spend a Throwback Thursday than looking back on some of Mike Scheidt’s previous work? One of his other projects, Middian, formed on the heels of YOB’s dissolution in 2006, with bassist/growled vocalist Will Lindsay (Abigail Williams, Lord Mantis, Indian) and drummer Scott Headrick joining him to round out the lineup. The band’s lone album, Age Eternal, was released on Metal Blade in 2007. While the CD version of this is pretty widely available, good luck trying to find one of the 500 copies of 180g vinyl. (If you do find one, let me know as I just called dibs.)
Anyway, that same year, the Wisconsin death/groove band Midian (note the single “d”) issued cease and desist orders on Middian due to the likeness of the names. Court proceedings ensued and by August 2008, Middian had changed names to Age Eternal, and then swiftly announced they were splitting up—partly due to the legal battles, but also partly due to personnel issues. (Headrick moved, and Lindsay became a full-time member of Wolves in the Throne Room.) Scheidt, of course went on to reform YOB.
Thankfully, we still have the one and only release Age Eternal, and my #tbt is the leadoff track, “Dreamless Eye.” What a way to open an album. The first four-and-a-half minutes of this track make for a furiously-paced barn burner, with Scheidt’s guitar playing on warp speed and Headrick’s drumming in fine, skin-bashing form. Lindsay’s harsh vocals pair seamlessly with Scheidt’s wail, which works better than it should on paper.
The last five minutes slow the pace and settle into a slower doom plod, interlaced with some amazing, higher-pitched guitar leads that any fan of YOB will instantly fall in love with. As you’d expect with Scheidt writing lyrics, we get a glance into the sprawl of his mind, with lines like “breathe into the sleep, autumn leaves come crashing down, bled eyes stare into the deep, stars collapse within the mind.” Vocals on this back half are sparse, and the song finishes off abruptly, but it puts the exclamation mark on a phenomenal opener to a stellar album.
I’m really hoping this vinyl is repressed someday, but for now I’m just happy to have my CD copy. Take a listen to “Dreamless Eye” below, and find out both what a monster this track is and why you should own a copy of this album:
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– Josh
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