Man, I like this album!!!
Eso-Charis is a four-piece hardcore band from Arkansas with an independently released CD (produced by Bruce Fitzhugh of Living Sacrifice) and a knack for writing killer songs. I saw them play with Living Sacrifice and Embodyment in Tucson, Arizona, and was impressed enough to buy their CD right after their set. You can read the review of that show here. What a great live band!
Intense, eclectic, emotional, and artistic are good adjectives to describe Eso-Charis. Cory Putman, the lead singer/guitarist, has an intense screaming vocal style, a bit higher than the average hardcore "singer". He also uses a clean, sometimes spoken style. Back-up vocals are covered very effectively by the second guitarist and the bassist, adding another level of intensity to certain passages. The songs are well-written and generally heavy, with trippy interludes sometimes approaching lounge-style music. These eight songs are truly complete, filled with excellent moments, including some points of musical climax that really move the listener. An example of this is near the end of the first song, "Born With a Future", where the singer screams over and over the words, "I Love You". I just cannot stay still at this point. Eso-Charis know how to evoke emotions with their music, whether it's urgency (and there is a lot of this), peace, confidence, or whatever; the music of Eso-Charis brings it out of the listener. These are some talented songwriters, and I am becoming more and more convinced that this is the best hardcore band I have ever heard. There is nowhere else to go with this review: Eso-Charis rules!
I would admonish any fan of heavy music to get this CD!
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis March 2002Reviewed by Nate BaileyEso-Charis contains two members of Living Sacrifice. This album was recorded by Barry Poynter and released on Solid State. While Eso-Charis contains members of LS, they are nothing like them. This is not to say that they are gentle, but instead of the metal presentation, there is a new-school hardcore feel. Plenty of gut wrenching screaming, breakdowns, double bass, and occasional technical…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Shelby FosterAdd eight members, dress them all in boiler suits, and disguise their identities with horrifically gruesome caricature masks of the twelve disciples, and Eso-Charis could be on to a winning formula. Of all the Solid State bands, they are the first to sound (whether intentionally or not) uncomfortably like a Christian parody of Iowa's most infamous sons, Slipknot (with a lead singer also called…The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Ken MuellerFirst rule as a music consumer: don't believe everything the band's publicity tells you. Eso-Charis is a hardcore band out of Arkansas that has been around for some time, but this is their first major recording. Half of the band consists of members of hardcore outfit Living Sacrifice, and therein lies the problem. Because of the connection between the personnel of the two bands, Eso-Charis spends…Art for the Ears 1999Reviewed by Marco PovervestPure power, that's how I would describe this band. But it's more than power alone. It's chaotic and with an alternative twist. The album kicks off with the song with which they opened their energetic set at the Brainwave Festival: Born With A Future. The sound is huge with the hoarse vocals of Cory Putnam. Man, his throat must be aching after a show! This debut-album contains nine songs produced…HM Magazine #74Reviewed by Chad OlsonAfter touring with Living Sacrifice and Embodyment, and also having Bruce Fitzhugh co- produce this debut, these guys are unleashed on disc. With vocals not much unlike Bruce's, the music is more progressive than either of their touring mates, which gives them a wider appeal. To order, write: 1510 North Hills Blvd, Van Buren AR 72956Similar sounding releases
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2002EmbracedAn Orchestrated Failure
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