Customer Reviews

Walking on Phantom Ice

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of most amazing CD's ever, maybe on par with my Tool CD's. This is REALLY amazing music. It variates from different albums. It is less heavy then Offkilter Enhancement, but in the same style, but backwards. "Tat Twam Asi" is mixture between melodic, newer Earthtone and older, heavier Earthtone. Oh my God, I love that song, no decent person could not like it.

"Evil Crawling I" is a heavy, short song with a grinding guitar riff and pounding vocals.

"PRD Chaos" is slower, with a chorus to lay down and die to. Ishamel Lewis of Liberty 37 pitches in, and wow. Beautiful, amazing, great ending too.

"Approx. Purified" is very heavy with roaring vocals and a soaring guitar fiff, one that brings "I Nagual Eye" memories...

"Walking Day" is...wow. I can't explain. It's slow, pretty, dark and complex, great verses, beautiful lyrics, and an amazing chorus riff.

"Star Damage" is really heavy, but my god, I love it! The riff is awesome and the chorus is harmonic and I'd kill to hear it. The drumming is awesome too.

"Ni9e" is a short drumming opener that leads right into...

"Yellow Fever". This is probably my favoirte, maybe sharing with some others. Ishmael Lewis of Liberty 37 takes full control. the riff is so amazing, and the chorus is so great. "The bigger the God, so small the man...". The ending is amazing to, especially that drum beat...

"Alpha Hi" is probably taking from all the way back to "Lo Def Discord", their first album. I like it, but it doesn't seem to fit right in between "Yellow Fever" and...

"Binary 101"....A 8:30 song with not one boring part. A great riff, which pauses and starts again after only a half second of silence, the riff is often compared to that of the "Kashmir" riff by Led Zepplelin but is no rip off.

The artwork is amazing, and lyrics are confusing but that's good, I love how they have the same artistic approach like Tool. One of the best albums ever, and "Omega", the finale EP is also amazing. I'll miss Earthtone 9, I'm an American fan, and also very young, and I just hope another band like them could come around...We'll miss you Earthtone 9.

I feel blessed to have crossed paths with this album. Is it fate? Who cares, I am just glad it's mine. This CD is great! I stumbled across it here at amazon.com, and I couldn't wait for it's arrival. Just from these little lo-quality mp3's I knew it would be somthin I would like. I was right, every song is like a journey. It just has so much complexity (not the most mind blowing i've ever heard) in every song. Very talented songwriters, great percussion, vocals,and decent guitar and bass lines. I have only listened to it a few times and I am hooked.

I hate comparisons, especially on a band that has there own style and sound. But, I think it's helpful to give people an idea of what a band sounds like. With that being said, I give you my opinion. I would have to say this band does sound like tool from the musical/artsy aspect, but they are no ripp-off. They have this aggressive side that tool doesn't venture to. This album is full of deathly screams, and anger. With a perfect mixture of beautiful ballad like corus' and in some cases verse'. And then theres this emotional sing/scream that just really mix's nicely.

In conclusion, buy this if you listen to real music, not noise. This isn't idiot/neanderthal metal. These people loved the music they created, they show passion. Which is reflected through the music.Why they departed will boggle my mind forever.
I sure as hell wouldn't close the door on a band this good. Anyways I hope this band (although no more) will find a place in metal fans hearts right here in the US.

P.S.This is better than "off kilter enhancement" (it took me purchasing both at the same time to figure out) IMO better to own this one first.

this is an amazing cd.
if you like tool, this should appeal to you.

The first time I heard Tat Twam Asi, I was hooked... I had to listen to the rest of the cd right then. This was the band I was looking for. I needed a band that was hard, soft, melodic, catchy, intelligent, and original. This British band had everything I was looking for. It took me a few listens to really get the feel of Earthtone9, just because it was that good. Its too bad they broke up.

If you hate Tool or like Tool but you're sick of them, check these guys out. They crush Tool on every level. And Karl's voice is 1000x better than Maynard's. It's not whiny at all.

This is the band people have been ranting about? These where the so-called "saviors of British metal". I finally heard this band after they broke up and am sadly unimpressed and disappointed in those who exalt them. Earthtone9 have to be the most overrated "underrated" band of the UK scene.

First off, this band in no way "crushes Tool at every level". I wonder if the fellow who wrote that had his head screwed on the right way. Hell, Tool taught this band everything they know. I mean, look at the musicianship. Danny Carey is one of the most awe-inspiring drummers out there, bringing out a blistering barrage of complex polyrhythms and odd time signatures. Think Si from Earthtone9 can stand a chance with his relatively simplistic drumming? He even copies Carey's drums from the song "Sober" repeatedly, in my opinion Carey crushes this guy at every level. And Et9's guitarists do create some interesting textures and admittedly, they are heavier than Tool's Adam Jones. But Adam is a more varied and makes greater use of his instument making him ultimately a more enigmatic musician. And Maynard is whiny all of the sudden? Whiny is not the word I choose to describe his soaring vocals on Euology. ET9 singer Karl is good but overall he's a pretty average vocalist with little or no distinctive quality whereas Maynard has a voice that sticks in your head. Tool's music is just so much more exciting and unpredictable, whereas Earthtone9's song structures are pretty simple and play-it-safe.

The problem isn't just with the Tool aping but the fact that these blokes sound like their influences and not in a good way. Evil Crawling I is a Helmet riff from the song "Unsung" and various other "Helmetisms" pop up in their sound as well. Ni9e sounds like a bad Pretty Hate Machine-era NIN imitation and many of the heavier tracks come short of Will Haven's onslaught. This band is not terrible, they are definitely better than most media-fed nu metal garbage but to say they are astoundingly original or the brightest hopes for British metal is ridiculous hyperbole. In fact, most of the most reknowned British metal bands that are supposed to blow the American bands out of the water are simply copying what American bands have been doing for the past 10 years. If we really want to show the Yanks what we're made of then we've got to come up with stuff more dynamic than Earthtone9.