Ayr is YAITW's guitarist Rick Cortes' baby, and it shows. He does all of the music here except Drums(provided by YAITW's Randy Baucom) and synths. This tape is an EP, their debut, and only 3 songs. But it satisfies like an album, because it covers a lot of ground on it's 3 tracks. The tape begins with "I Had A Dream Which Was Not All A Dream" which is sort of an intro track. It begins with a very Doomy Crusty riff, which might be influenced by early My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost? It really has that early "Peaceville 3" vibe, with some beautiful picked melodic passages shining through the murk. It leads right into the "star" song of the tape, which is the title track, "Circling". At just under 9 minutes, this song is quite Epic. It starts barreling on all 4's! The main detriment to this tape is the recording quality. It's very analog, which renders that really warm sound, but it only let's the drums/cymbals and vocals shine through. I wish that I could hear a little more of the guitar and bass, but that's a minor complaint. "Circling" settles into a mid-pace trod that sounds a bit like prime-era Shining. Rick's vocals are the true triumph of this recording. Sure, they are standard BM vocals, but he has that REAL larynx shredding vocals, that sounds like he might have never recovered after the recording. From that mid-paced section the songs then turns to a really beautiful slow and desolate passage that lulls you into thinking it's ending, but quickly pulls a switch on you, and turns to seriously fucking diabolic blast section. It never sounds derivative of YAITW or any other band in general, but I am sure fans of Darkthrone, Gorgoroth, old Satyricon, and all of the aforementioned bands will be very happy with it. The second side of the tape, and last song is "And Some Did Rest Their Chins Upon Their Clinched Hands", is not just and epic song title, at 8 and a half minutes, it's another beast of a song! It begins as a chugging mid-paced clobberer, that is so fucking headbangable that it's ridiculous! This song is where that "warmth" of the analog plays in it's favor(except for those loud cymbals), it creates a perfect atmospheric wave, that all of us Black Metal freaks know and listen for. A bit of Doom plays into this track but not overtly. About 4 mins in, it goes to quiet, ambient mode, but this time you are ready for that sucker punch! BAM!! It kicks in, and they synths make an epic appearance and reminds me of the Emperor Demo's and Self-titled era. This also marks the first appearance of vocals in this track, but they are much more buried this time, and it all forms that atmospheric "blanket" that we love.
Ayr really has a winner here, and I really think the EP format plays in it's favor here. I prefer EP's, because if the band does it correctly for 15-30 mins, they leave you wanting more. If they do it 45-70 mins, even the most patient listener might get bored? It's really too bad this project is on hold, because I feel they have a real chance of being a bigger name in the Black Metal stratosphere. Definitely don't be put off by the YAITW affiliation, if you are not a fan of that band. Ayr is totally it's own beast, and one of the few that actually captures that magical, atmospheric feeling of the 90's BM scene that we all long for.
Format: Cassette
Label: Nervous Light Tapes
Length: 21:31
Rating: 8.5/10
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