Flight of Eden's 'Dante's Inferno' - EP Review

There are a large number of ways to discover new music. Sometimes new band recommendations come from friends; while other times discoveries are made at concerts and festivals, where a previously-unknown act blows you away. Discoveries can be made through family trees (i.e. seeing what else members of a particular band have also been involved with), but perhaps still the strangest method is through the unknown forces of the Social Media algorithms. There is a lot going on behind Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc., which allows these platforms to sometimes throw up recommendations of new music based on our previous searches and likes. Despite the obvious sinister implications of this kind of data tracking, there are clearly upsides too - and I have discovered a few bands, particularly newly-formed bands, via recommendations coming from these algorithms. One such band is the Reading-based progressive metal four-piece Flight of Eden, which Facebook decided to prod me in the direction of last month when they released their new EP Dante's Inferno. I had not heard of the band previously, but I was instantly intrigued. Music based on classic literature is always interesting. I always laugh at some of the mainstream portrayals of metal fans as Neanderthal-type beings (although these people certainly do exist), as many people who enjoy metal music are often learned and well-read. Metal albums often deal with topics around literature, philosophy, and theology; subjects certainly more interesting than many of the vacuous clichés that fill much of the 'mainstream' music pushed by the same media. Going hand-in-hand with these topics is the metal world's love of a concept album. Many of the best examples of the 'concept album' format come from metal bands, and metal is often the best way to present these stories and themes - as it has the drama suitable to pull the spectacle off. I think it is the fact that Flight of Eden had released a concept EP that drew me to them. While lots of metal bands release concept works, it is quite rare for a band to do so as early in their career. Dante's Inferno is the band's second release, and it follows on the heels of 2018's Transitions (which I have not yet heard) - but just looking at the presentation of the new EP it seems to be a big step up, both in terms of ambition and scope. Ambition, especially from new bands, should always be applauded and Dante's Inferno is certainly worthy of such applause. Despite it only being an EP, and featuring less than 25 minutes of music, Dante's Inferno is a true journey that condenses Dante Alighieri's epic 14th Century poem into a whirlwind experience, packed with dynamic songwriting, soaring melodies, and crushingly heavy moments - all of which showcase the potential and talent of the four musicians involved.

Listening to Dante's Inferno feels like listening to one long song. While the EP is split up into nine tracks, all of the parts flow together seamlessly with short instrumental sections mixing in with fully-fledged songs. The main meat of the EP is the six-part Canto, but things open up first with Nessus and Selva Oscura - two instrumental pieces that showcase the band's more atmospheric side. Nessus focuses more on swirling synths and sound effects, which are suitably spooky given the EP's subject matter, before Selva Oscura introduces a symphonic elements with Simon Robins' weighty guitar stabs and keyboard melodies introducing the first moments of metal here. Selva Oscura acts as a lengthy intro to Virtue, the first part of the Canto series - a song that focuses on later-period Symphony X-esque grooves and gritty clean vocals from frontman Kurt Jones. Virtue is probably the song that mixes the heavier and more melodic sides of the band together most overtly. Robins lays down a tough groove throughout thanks to a weighty riff, while Jones' showcases some of his vocal range with a melodic chorus - with a few growls added for effect. It is the most traditionally 'prog metal' moment here, with synths underpinning the sound - a stark contrast to Cerberus which introduces heavier elements. The riffing is similar in pace and groove to the previous track, but Jones is a man transformed as he unleashes growl after growl atop the thick riffing - which is nicely bolstered by Christian Sturgess' chunky bass playing. Melodic moments do surface during the piece, but on the whole the track is a heavier one. The most melodic section is easily the song's closing guitar solo, which is controlled and full of expressive phrasing, which transitions nicely into the instrumental Heresy which features delicate piano lines and atmospheric clean guitar melodies.

It is something of the calm before the storm however, as Morning Star is a flat-out death metal piece that takes the groundwork laid on Cerberus and turns things up a notch. While Cerberus moved back and forth between harsh and clean vocals, Morning Star largely focuses on the former - with the band content to operate as a death metal act for its four-minute run time. Sturgess' bass kicks things off with a fat riff, before drummer Gualter Couto launches into a ferocious beat that is only topped by Jones' demonic vocal display. The melodic moments that filled many of the previous songs are instantly discarded here, with pure brutality pushed to the fore. There are still progressive moments however, such as some excellent bass-led sections and a short clean vocal reprise, but on the whole this is the band at their most abrasive. Purgatorio is another short instrumental break, that acts as the antithesis to Morning Star. Robins takes the centre stage with his delicate, hypnotic clean guitar work; and the whole track is essentially built around his interlocking melodies. It is the perfect respite, and a lovely set-up for Paradiso - the last piece of Canto. It opens with more melancholic piano work, mirroring the vibe created by the guitars in the previous song, but part way through the drums kick in and Jones returns to his melodic clean voice to belt out the EP's final lyrics. It is a triumphant sounding moment, and there is a real feeling of Dante coming out of the darkness and into the light - which is further reinforced by a short, but wonderfully controlled, guitar solo. It is left to the short Virgil to bring the EP to a close, its symphonic trappings mirroring Selva Oscura from earlier - as the EP comes to a resounding and eerie end. It is certainly fair to say that Dante's Inferno is an extremely impressive release from a band that I was unaware of until very recently. The short, but very diverse, release has already made quite the impression, and I can see myself listening to it a lot more over the coming months. It is the bands like Flight of Eden that the metal world should be bigging up, because ambition and a willingness to try new and diverse ideas should always be welcomed.

The self-released EP was released on 9th April 2020. It is currently only available digitally via the band's Bandcamp page (which can be found here), but there is talk of a physical release at some point in the future.