E.Y.E Album
Progressive rockers EYE (or Empty Yard Experiment) have just released their debut self-titled album featuring six tracks, including our favourite, Nostalgic.
EYE has gone from strength to strength, developing a surety and confidence in themselves as a band and their music as they have developed; this is particularly noticeable over the last six months or so.
As long-time supporters of EYE and their amazing music and visuals, we thought we would nab an exclusive interview with the band to find out what made this album tick for them.
Tell me a bit about EYE, what is the idea or philosophy behind the band?
It all boils down to the fact that we use our band to construct an audio/video platform that reflects our perception of society, as well as both the physical and metaphysical world at large. We are always reluctant to press a specific point or define every aspect of a journey for the listener. It’s more like we’re telling a story, which we can all experience in much the same way. But depending on how you’ve interpreted it, each story can have very different endings. That’s what we have done on our record.
Who are the band members now?
Bojan on Vocals, Mehdi on Guitars, Kaveh on Bass, Gorgin on Keys, and Sasan on Drums. Sami Al Turki is in charge of visuals during live shows.
EYE has just recorded its debut album, how was the recording experience and who did you do the recording with?
It was an amazing experience. The process of recording and the intricate details of what was done to realize this project helped us to truly understand our own music. The recording and production were done by Joshua Williams, whose quality of work speaks for itself on the album. We practically lived in the studio for about 3 months, and took even longer to get the mixing and mastering done. Looking back, when it’s all said and done, we’re sure that every second of the work we put into it was necessary, and that the wait was worth it.
What do you think makes this album special?
Everything about this album is special for us. Other than the depth and style of our music, this is, as far as we know, the first conceptual album in this region. At the end of the day, we’ve made music that we know we’d like to hear, and the fact that people can connect with it and share the experience with us – that’s what’s special.
Which is your favorite track on the album?
Gorgin – Panaromia
Bojan – Poet
Mehdi – Nostalgic
Kaveh – [U]
Sasan- East
Track listing
We loved Nostalgic, the Arabic-style traditional element combined with the flames in the visuals really told a story. Can you tell me a bit about this track and what inspired both it and the visuals?
Nostalgic is one of the first tracks that we had ever written, and it has stayed with us since our first live show in 2007. As name the name of the song suggests, the track is painted with certain emotions. We had always wanted to have a vocal on this track, but without any lyrics.
We made several attempts at coming up with something that fits, but never had any success until we met Gaya (Gayathri Krishnan).
She showed us what she had in mind, and she’d really hit the spot.
The visuals for the song were put together by Sami. They of course reflect his and the band’s take on the song. We don’t actually like to assign or define a story for any visual or song. The entire point is that you craft your own story simply by finding out the theme of the song through its name, and then let the visuals and overall feeling guide you through the show.
EYE is the only band currently in the UAE that uses visuals during a performance. Can you tell me a bit about the process of adding visuals to songs and how you create such a visual/audio harmony?
The idea of using live mixed visuals has stuck with us from the very formation of the band. We basically wanted to create another platform and means of communication with the audience. We wanted to have a way of forging a powerful connection with them.
In time, visuals became an incredibly important part of our conceptual art form, allowing us to create an environment free of boundaries, and let the audience create their own story within the framework that they’re presented with.
Where do you hope to go with the band?
Gorgin: “O snail; climb Mount Fuji; but slowly, slowly”
Bojan: I’d like us to be a Britney Spears cover band in the not-so-distant future.
Were can people buy the album and t-shirts and for how much?
You can always contact us for any purchase. Contact details and number are available on our website www.emptyyardexperiment.com.
SO…. Do any of you have a teddy bear?
Gorgin: :0000 we do not have teddy bears for god sake :00000
So I guess that answers THAT question!
ALL You lucky, lucky Metality UAE readers NOW have a chance to WIN one copy of the EYE album which is up for grabs, thanks to the guys from the band!
Simply answer this question: WHAT IT THE NAME OF EYE’s DEBUT ALBUM?
Write your answers in the comments section below or email your answer to metalityuae@yahoo.co.uk. The winner will be announced on June 1st so get those entries rolling in.
For more background on the band, check out our article from September 2010 here: http://www.metalityuae.com/?p=521
EYE
Have a look at our video of Eye’s Panaromia shot at sound -check before a Metal Asylum gig:
httpv://youtu.be/x0JVOwQMheE
Radio Metality UAE
The album is self titled and called E.Y.E.
Absolutely amazing album. I bought it, of course, but if I win, I’ll give it as a present to the Modern ROCK Institute in Croatia