birdeatsbaby
Illuminate
birdeatsbaby is a progressive metal project from Brighton, UK. They have an impressive catalog of music that stretches all the way back to 2009 with their debut album “Her She Comes-a-Tumblin’.” Going through their work, you’ll find orchestral type pieces like “Ghosts” from 2013, “White Hearts” from 2015, and “Scars” from 2016, as well as heavier blasts like “No Mirror” from 2016 and “The World Conspires,” from 2019. This is quite the prolific group with an impressive aura of tones. Here’s our review of their latest track, “Iluminate,” get ready for a ride!
It’s an erie all-start with the band, in odd meters, around 97 BPM. Love the drum tones, the real cello’s, the ambient keyboards and the drone like guitars that help with keeping the progression moving. Vocals come in - very well placed in the mix - in an upper register that creates a massive tone. Always love to hear female vocals with quality metal. With the chorus, we get a nice change in the drum pattern (love that ride) and chord progression that adds just the right amount of tension. Post chorus we get doused in a heavy section of dual guitars that push a great drive. Love how in the second verse the vocalist drops down an octave for the melody to create a thicker feel. Dig it.
Second chorus continues the trend of effectively building the track and the subtle runs of minor arpeggio’s that take place with the bass and keys add a nice element of texture. Love the bridge - great effect on the vocals - hi pass, then distortion, all in conjunction with the lyrics and the title of the song. The chord progression that comes after that descends us into a heaviness in the track that we haven’t experienced yet. Great mix and compression on the guitars, and when the bridge picks up again with another vocal theme to take us to the end we feel like we’re on stage in the midst of a massive rock opera. If you’re a fan of Queensryche or Sirenia (out of Norway), this is right up your alley. I’ve seen other review that compare them to a metalized Kate Bush or Tori Amos - absolutely. The vocals are gorgeous, and it’s so cool to hear them on top of such heavy instrumentation.
This is definitely a band for those that dig the heavier side of rock, but you’ll be surprised at just how diverse their catalog is. It can be theatric, dissonant, head banging, contemplative, chill and subtle, all within the span of a few songs. It would be a great project to see live, with an orchestra! We look forward to what they’ll be doing next.