Using the power of their boundless creativity and imagination, Earthless are crafting stories without words on their new album called Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. This is the sixth studio album by Earthless. The band is composed of Isaiah Mitchell (guitar & vocals), Mike Eginton (bass), and Mario Rubalcaba (drums).
The album Night Parade of One Hundred Demons is over sixty minutes of music shared through three songs: “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (Part 1)”, “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (Part 2)”, and “Death To The Red Sun”. Earthless have returned to their long-form improvisational songwriting format that lets the drums, bass, and guitars explore a theme. Both the band and the listener discover where the music will take them. Let’s dive into each song in detail.
Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (Part 1)
The Japanese phrase Hyakki yagyō translates into “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons”. This is the night when all supernatural beings breakthrough into our world and wreak havoc on the streets. It is a night of chaos. People stay locked in their homes and away from the windows until the yōkai (supernatural creatures) pass. Anyone that attempts to meet the night parade is either taken away or killed.
With this folklore as the backdrop, Earthless embark on their sonic adventure. The whispering ethereal introduction creates the sensation of expectation. The cymbals breath like wind across the water. Echoed and droning notes with synthesiser accents add to the air of expectation.
This feeling of awakening continues with the sounds of wind and guitar arpeggios. Haunting cries from a wah-wah laced guitar give way to questioning notes that fade into the ether. The mind questions if this is the dawn or the coming of night.
The mood changes abruptly with a menacing staccato passage. The impression of something awakening is created by the combination of crashing drums, punching bass, and chromatic guitars. As if the front of the storm has passed, we are cast into a hypnotic trance by Mario and MIke’s drum and bass. You can’t escape the sensation of moving or something coming this way.
This arrival of a force moving toward you is heightened by Isaiah’s guitar which is on the verge of feedback. He squeezes everything from each note that is played. The menacing chugging progression returns and is transformed with greater urgency.
A series of big chords ring like triumph or hope that is quickly dashed. The guitars are wailing. In your mind, the monsters are coming. They roar in delight smelling your fear. The crashing drums signal that it is time to run. Run now, run. Run and hide, the monsters are nearly here. Knowing the basics of the story underlying the music, you imagine a scene where anxious faces rush toward their homes. Doors slam shut and curtains are drawn against what is set loose upon this night.
Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (Part 2)
Tribal marching drums and pulsing bass set the stage for the demon dance. The synth wind and accents combined with the throbbing rhythms to keep the tension taut. Here and there a sprinkle of synth notes provide the sensation of mystery. The guitars are again ethereal and mythical. They suggest darkness obscuring the horror that dances outside your door.
The song continues to escalate the intensity. The drums and bass are insisting as the pace pushes past the tipping point. Now we are within the chaos of the night with the demons unleashed. Havoc reigns as the guitars scream. Dive bombing whammy bar and frenzied licks fashion visions of madness.
The menacing chug motif returns with guitars fully lost in the Malstrom of insanity. They scream the terrors of this night. You can imagine the fear of those inside their homes; trapped as the boundary between our world and the supernatural is torn away.
The pace dramatically slows, underscoring the suspense. The night terror reflected in the haunting howls of the guitar. The drums build into the final climax. Just when you think the nightmare is over, Earthless creates a cacophony of disharmonic drums, bass, and guitar. This acts as one last maniacal scream which abruptly ends.
Be sure to check out the stunning artwork created by Mike Eginton for the cover of Night Parade of One Hundred Demons while you listen to the two parts of the title track. The details of ghosts, monsters, and other supernatural beings are fantastic. I can see spending hours pouring over each detail while this album spins.
Death Of The Red Sun
There is a brief rising as if you’re seeing the red sun for the first time before the riffs start motoring. The increase in rhythmic velocity generates the illusion of accelerating toward the sun. The wah-laden guitars are reeking with psychedelic blues. The main riff is a heavy fist punching with vigor. Using the song’s title for guidance, celestial imagery of a red sun’s pulsing corona fills the mind as the guitar moans and sings.
The riffs and rhythms transform and surge. Your sense of moving becomes relentless. Again, the guitars are calling or perhaps singing the death song of a dying star. Another transformation and another quickening of the pace induce greater stress. “Death Of The Red Sun” reaches a frenzied crescendo then falls back into the main riff with the guitars continuing to blaze. Triumphantly with slow measured purpose, the song builds up in strength and finishes in a final flash of glory.
Night Parade of One Hundred Demons by Earthless is the essence of creative rock music. Their musical interpretation of Hyakki Yagyō is immensely powerful and thought-provoking. The bass, drum, and guitars become brushes painting a portrait of pandemonium. Earthless let the burning electric soul of their music add a new dimension to centuries of myth. Add to this the compelling artwork that accompanies the album and you are gifted with a rewarding sensory experience. Night Parade of One Hundred Demons expands in richness with every play.
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