EAGLE TWIN & THE OTOLITH - Legends of the Desert Vol. 4

Of course attending and reviewing live shows is great and all, but damn, I'm falling behind with releases I want to write about! Yet again.

Well here's something I only very recently became aware of and had to order immediately. Because who doesn't love a great Doom Metal split LP?

EAGLE TWIN & THE OTOLITH - Legends of the Desert Vol. 4 (Copper Nugget vinyl LP) (2024)

Luckily I didn't have to order this fourth part of a split series from the New Mexican label Desert Records from overseas, because they offered a beautiful variant for Europe, too.

The two tracks on its A side belong to a group unfamiliar to me until now, the super sludgy amplifier worship Doom duo Eagle Twin. And yes, these two dudes look exactly as much as American truckers as the name suggests. Their extremely boosted brand of Blues with many other influences, while keeping an uncompromising focus on the power of the riff, exudes strong Yob vibes more than once. The raw vocal style, which sometimes almost slides off into throat singing territory, undoublty is a part of that. And I'm absolutely here for it!  

The reason I even checked this record out however is of course The Otolith, the Doom Metal band with two violins and multiple vocalists from Salt Lake City, featuring four former members of the legendary SubRosa. Even though their 2022 debut album "Folium Limina" undoubtly is great, I had some issues with it, which were mainly routed in me just missing the contributions of Rebecca Vernon.
By now however the desert dust has settled a bit. Vernon powerfully came back with the debut of her own new band The Keening and that also helped me to appreciate "Folium Limina" more for what it is than mourn what it was missing for me at first.

And what about the two tracks on this split? Both "Crossway" and "Phosphene Dream" are at least on par with the greatest songs from the album - maybe this even is the group's best material so far.
Doom Metal just doesn't get more epic, crushingly heavy and emotional at the same time than this. It feels like The Otolith have stepped up in several aspects, with the most important one just being confidence. It shines through especially in the arrangements and the harmony vocals of Sarah Pendleton and Kim Cordray. And I'm sure it helped that live bassist Matt Brotherton is also a fully involved band member now.

Guys and girls, if you keep up this level for your next album, it will be spectacular!
Just like this split actually already is, thanks to the awesome contributions of both bands and the consistent killer production, as all four tracks have been recorded and mixed by The The Otolith's drummer Andy Patterson in his studio.