There’s obviously something about tigers that the instrumental world loves. First, there was We Followed Tigers, then along came Romance of Young Tigers, and now we can add Eaten By Tigers to that list (Yes, I’m sure there are more instrumental bands with the word ‘tigers’ in, I’m not making a list, so don’t start getting picky)*. All three bands have a liking for Shere Khan and his feline friends, and all three are damn fine instrumental bands.
Eaten By Tigers are a four piece from Leeds, UK, and having fluttered around the ever growing Leeds instrumental scene for about 6 months, playing gigs with the likes of These Monsters, Humanfly, and Cat and Cats and Cats, the band finally gets around to releasing its first EP, Entropy. With three tracks totaling 18 minutes worth of music, it might be a bit on the tight side for a band that’s been going for half a dozen months, but with numerous line-up changes and re-location issues to deal with, we'll let them off. That, and the fact that the three tracks and 18 minutes of Entropy are really good.
Verging more on the rock side of post-rock, with the odd bit of electronic sampling and metal riffage thrown in for good measure, EBT creates a sound that favors consistency rather than sheer creativity, but honestly, how creative can you really be in such a short amount of time? And herein lies the beauty; it’s hard to create an original or different sound using only guitars, bass, and drums, but it’s probably even harder to create something that is fresh in your ears upon first listen. Opening track "Entropy" starts with some fractured electronic beats and light guitar work that explodes into a riff you’d most likely find on the heavier upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start tracks, before a chugging breakdown reminiscent of Oceansize’s "One Day All This Could Be Yours" takes over. The following track, "Nausea," carries on the same vein, with the heavier parts of the song used as teaser for what’s to come throughout the opening chiming guitar and ebow accompaniment. The EP closes with "Memoirs Of A Minotaur," which again opens with a light guitar riff, but is then joined by a cello and violin, giving the track an uplifting, yet less epic, Yndi Halda vibe, albeit without the double figure track lengths, proving that good instrumental songs don’t have to be longer than episodes of Family Guy.
The only fault would we can justifiably pin on Eaten by Tigers lies in the song structure itself, as all three tracks on Entropy follow similar paths, and at times you really want the band to expand its sound a little bit more, as it obviously has the talent to do so. During each track a concurrent melody is played throughout that almost acts as the missing vocals, with the track itself going back to the melody on numerous occasions before exploring some new sonic direction, and it’s this method that could cause tedium on a longer time span. When you consider that this is the quartet's first EP, there’s every reason to believe that it will evolve, and if it does manages to improve on Entropy, a lot of bands will be carefully watching over their shoulders, ready for the tiger to pounce.
-James Ould
*:Editor's Note -- Let's not forget Fond of Tigers, or BTEOT's Tribute to Tigers as well.