Elixir On Mute

End Of Sky

Jordan Ferreira – Guitar, Vocals

Steve Jenkins – Bass

Thomas Pridgen – Drums

            This next band hails from Massachusetts and California both. Frontman Jordan is native to MA and has been involved in music all his life. He single-handedly formed the band in 2010, the same year that they released their debut album. After meeting Pridgen which jumped on board to play the drums on this debut album, Jordan then jumped on a plane and headed back to have Jenkins lay down his bass lines.  The band just recently went on tour to get ready for their sophomore release, but let’s check out that debut album titled, End Of Sky, first to see what they have to offer. The album features just 7 tracks, but lasts a full 60 minutes. The album kicks off with “Angel” which has an intriguing intro. It’s kind of whimsical with solid guitars and steady drums. It also offers up some “ooos” to give it an added touch. They then just go off with funky guitars and hammering drums. They then change it up again right before the vocals come in adding in some power drum play. The vocals are a bit strange I have to say and around the 3 minute mark the song just nearly stops. When the vocals come in after that lull segment they are much better than they were before it. The track takes on many characters. It shows a soft side, an aggressive side, and everything in the middle. It’s almost several tracks all in one. There might be too much going on for its own good. “We Own The Night” is the shortest tune clocking in at nearly 6 minutes. It begins with a soft stature that again intrigues you to stick around. The guitars roll in followed right by the vocals. The soft spoken vocals will leave you standing in your spot taking it all in. It goes through an awkward phase before hitting its stride. It really picks up the pace after the rough patch and finishes off strong. I could see many people finding a favorite in this tune. “The Weapon” steps up next for an epic 15 plus minutes. It begins with a nice intro section that would make many older metal bands happy. The music then all but stops for a little while when the vocals enter the picture. Everything finally comes back up and running together. The music is solid and the vocals don't hurt the track at all. The lyrical set isn’t bad at all either. It has a lot of stuff going on, but it’s a type of track that you just sit back, take it all in, and enjoy. “Saints” opens up fast after that epic last tune. It has a nice sound that you can easily get into very quick. The vocals offer up a set with a bit of a nasty streak in them. They do lighten up a couple of times in a very surprising way, but they lighten up never-the-less. They have a great thrashing solo during the track too that will get very metal head going. This track will kick your ass. “Helium Trains” begins on a soft note with some cool guitars. The vocals then slide in with a calm voice giving up some nice lyrics. They then just let loose for a mega track that will kick you right in the shin. However, they don't stay like that as they revert back to the opening section. They do that several times for an overall killer tune. There really aren’t too many transitions to pick at as they just explode, then completely die. I do like the tune though, a lot. “Elixir” is another solid metal tune with huge guitars and hammering drums. The vocals aren’t bad either. The track seems to have it all, but the solo section is a bit too long for an album and takes away from the track. “Horror” concludes the 2010 release from this band. It opens up strange and could be cut out. When the track actually gets going it displays a very nice guitar that leads you to an onslaught. There are a couple sections that I would cut out of the tunes as it just clogs it up and takes away from some killer tunes. Overall this album is solid. There are some things that I think needs tweaked and cleaned up, and because of those it doesn’t get as high a rating at it deserves. I think that once some of the extra, prolonged intros or outros are cleaned up that the band’s songs will be better off. The songs are just way too long with too much stuff going on. They also need to work on the lyrical portion of the writing just a bit more. If they can clean those things up you will see them all over the place. You can hear the potential there, now they just need to let it all come together in a natural way. Stay tuned for their sophomore release due out soon. I know I’m looking forward to it.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Tracks to Watch:

We Own The Night, Saints, Helium Trains

Track List:

1. Angel
2. We Own The Night
3. The Weapon
4. Saints
5. Helium Trains
6. Elixir
7. Horror

Website (s):  www.elixironmute.com