EP Review: From Beyond-"The Color Out of Space"

From Beyond is a short story written by the grand master of cosmic horror himself, H P Lovecraft. So is the title of this EP, The Color Out of Space. This band are obviously big fans of Lovecraft and as I join them in their fascination with all things Elder Gods and non-Euclidean I was eager to hear what this band had to offer with their latest EP.

From Beyond are 3 audio magickians based in Houston Texas who, with their 2nd EP release, come with 4 slabs of spaced out occult doom rock with just a hint of an early 70's sound reminiscent of Sabbath, Pentagram and Black Widow.

The EP opens with Hexagram, showing that From Beyond are not concerned with earthly matters here, turning it up to the solar 6 instead of the all too obvious earthly 5 of the pentagram; something that has been done ad infinitum in the world of doom metal.

The track kicks in with a heavy rocking guitar that paradoxically sounds to me like feel good doom. The vocals come in with a good ol' fashioned rock and roll vibe urging me to raise my fists in ritual celebration. Driven along by a catchy riff and some great guitar licks this one had me head banging like a man possessed by Nyarlathotep himself.

At Midnight (I'll Steal Your Soul) is the second track which opens with a brooding but groovy stoner rock vibe but still retaining the early 70's occult rock tinge; the vocals warn of some horrific Lovecraftian entity that promises to come and steal your soul at the witching hour. The track builds to some very Ghost like moments with 70's style guitar licks once again and with a thick layer of organ adding to the already haunted vibe of this one.

The third track is The Dead Still Ride which slams in with an epic rock anthem build up to a fast paced biker rock monster. Chugging along urgently, I can see a Satan worshipping biker gang of zombies riding through the night and hell bent on causing death and destruction, leaving dead men and crying women in their wake. This is fist raising stuff again, a true occult rock anthem with a memorable hook and lyrics. It's the shortest of the 4 tracks here but it's the one that stood out most for me.

Last is the title track, The Color Out Of Space which begins just like Sabbath's Iron Man and the similarity doesn't let up when the track drops. It is a slow grooving trad doom demon singing an ode to one of H P Lovecraft's best short stories. The track evolves as it grows into a thick and heavy space doom vibe until half way when it drops to near silence with only some quiet Pink Floyd-esque trippyness; we have now entered the psychedelic void where the color out of space resides. Then comes a heavy guitar drone that builds until the band launches us into space rock dimensions where anthemic guitar and fuzzed out cosmic effects throw never seen colors into our minds until we reach oblivion where the track ends in obliteration and a sounding off in a sonic prayer to the unknown.

From Beyond's EP can be purchased in a mouth watering limited glow in the dark vinyl pressing from their bandcamp where you can also buy a digital download of the EP and their previous releases:

BANDCAMP / WEBSITE / FACEBOOK