live @ Metro Cafe 12.7.2000
Musicians in Chicago’s “post-rock” scene have been de-centralizing the electric guitar for years, making organs and synthesizers the chief melodic devices in their sound, and when The Eternals, a promising Chi-town trio, played at the Metro Cafe Thursday night, there wasn’t a six-string in sight. Instead, bassist Wayne Montana and drummer Dan Fliegel fiddled with dub and jungle rhythms down until they pushed forward with a rock feel while keyboardist/singer Damon Locks (who, with Montana, played in angular punk-funkers Trenchmouth) chanted and sang with a punk-rockers’ anxious edge .
Locks’ do-the-robot dancing was an enjoyable focal point, but the somber, searching tones of songs like “Phase 3 (Of A Never Ending Transformation)” and “Billions of People” required strict attention to catch the subtle shifts in gradation that is The Eternals’ strength. Alas, strict attention is not always easy to maintain in a chatty nightclub milieu, thus the bands’ more uptempo blasts--including some new material, a galvanizing keyboard duel between Locks and Montana and songs that made Fliegel’s inventive drumming the prime moving force in the Eternals’ attack--were the most successful.
Despite their atmospheric side falling a little flat, The Eternals’ still maintained the kind of authoritative air that should make following their future sound excusrsions pretty fascinating.
Burning Airlines, the stellar DC trio led by former Jawbox guitarist J. Robbins, gave no indications that they were considering abandoning the electric guitar as they blasted into their set later in the evening, which was especially good news considering the trio is planning to record a much-anticipated second album next week.
Washington Post, December 2000
