Orange County California’s one-man Metal band, In Silent Agony, the solo moniker of multi-instrumentalist & producer, Eski, has just released his second solo EP, Treacherous. Below is the first single from the new EP, Fear.
A follow-up to Villainous, released earlier this year in September, the new EP is part 2 of In Silent Agony’s triptych, or trilogy. Accompanied by cellist Kakophonix on the track “Our Darkest Shadows”, Eski produced, as well as performed all other instruments & vocals.
Track Listing:
“The Silent Inquisition“
“Treacherous“
“Fear“
“The Killage“
“Disenchantment“
“Our Darkest Shadows (Feat. Kakophonix)
“Treacherous“ Line-up:
Eski – All Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Drum Programming
Kakophonix – Cello (on “Our Darkest Shadows“)
The EP is available for purchase digitally on iTunes & Amazon. Streaming is also available on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play & many others!
MORPHINE KILLER – Just about two years removed, from Morphine Killer’s 2009 back-to-back EP releases of Unapologetic and Nightmares…and their first full-length album Sickening is unleashed. Morphine Killer has self produced each release thus far, all released on their very own Final Breath Records. If I’ve said it once, I shall never stop saying: the do-it-yourself ingenuity of Eski and Belle Roka, combined with the music genius and production expertise of Eski and the premier vocals that both musicians bestow are what will catapult this Metal duo to great heights one day… very soon.
I look back on the time when I happened to cross paths with this band and it has served me right ever since. A Metal band that gravitates towards a never ending improvement approach, from album to album, instead of levitating, will continuously create music that will stand out. This is the Metal mindset and work ethic of Morphine Killer. What Eski has accomplished with his multi-instrumental and multi-tasking talents on Sickening is nothing short of stunning. Then again, after becoming so absorbed by this bands first two EP’s, I should have expected an album like Sickening to sound this strong and mature.
Eski recently summed it up best to me: “If you have something to prove, you’ll have an edge to your sound. Each new CD is the next chapter of Morphine Killer”. How true are those words from Eski. Sickening is without doubt, a brand new listen into dark lyrical themes which are carried aloft by edgy Metal vibes. This is what shakes loose any status quo cobwebs within my ears. The Metal of Morphine Killer is real, street and non-contained.
There are Metal bands that want to be cool and accepted, while forgetting about song writing, production and substance. Then there’s Morphine Killer, where the music ingredients and chemistry within the band mean something. Eski states: “The biggest benefit is that it’s just the two of us and we’re constantly evolving which breeds continuity”. We’re most proud of this album production wise, we feel we’ve come into our own vocally on this new album”.
The 2010 Morphine Killer single Throw It All Away has made it’s home on Sickening and it already made it’s mark on Metal Odyssey’s “Top Ten Songs of 2010” list, (posted on December 24, 2010). Belle Roka’s vocals on Throw It All Away, It’s Too Late, Crack The Whip and Sacreligious Celebration makes for a legitimate reminder to me, that she can sing like a Classic Rock diva. Morphine Killer’s wild card strength lies in their approach to Heavy Music diversity. Both Belle and Eski are not bashful in bestowing what Rock genres have influenced their creativity and talents. From Grindcore to Classic Rock, there are many Metal nuances to be heard on Sickening.
An Air Of Disrespect and Time To Destroy are blasting reminders that Morphine Killer will grind it out, shred and deliver their brand of Extreme Metal. This song is a formidable statement that Morphine Killer can get pissed off and put some potent rage into their Metal and vocals. The instrumental New Industry is a swirl of macabre sound, courtesy of some ominous keyboards that swirl about and engulf the atmosphere with chilling vibes. Eski remarked: We introduced keyboards on Sickening more often than in the past. It’s another layer of excitement, another wall of sound versus the guitar, bass and drums.”
When speaking to Eski on what the lyrical thought process was behind Sickening, Eski stated: “People want problems solved, but they want someone else to solve them. In our everyday lives, it really has become a real sickening display of how we say one thing and do another. We can’t write happy songs just because it’s what everyone wants to hear, we write how we feel. There is a real beauty about something being so strange, mysterious and scary, we just want to help show that”.
Morphine Killer has released a killer album with Sickening… certainly one of the best in Metal releases this year.
MORPHINE KILLER:
Belle Roka – vocals & keyboards
Eski – vocals, guitar, bass & drums
Track Listing For SICKENING:
Another Day In The Flames
Crack The Whip
Sacrilegious Celebration
An Air Of Disrespect
It’s Too Late
The Breeding Ground
Time To Destroy
Throw It All Away
New Industry
* Sickening album cover designed by: Bobby Rodriguez.
* For more info on MORPHINE KILLER, click the links below:
MORPHINE KILLER – From Garden Grove, California, MORPHINE KILLER returns! The Metal… the Extreme Metal… along with their explosively melodic single Throw It AllAway are all heard on the new full-length: SICKENING. April 20th, 2011 is the release date for SICKENING via Final Breath Records.
Following the Metal success of their 2009 EP releases of Unapologetic and Nightmares, MORPHINE KILLER are back with an album of 9 songs that will leave your eardrums scorched and begging for more! SICKENING is the Metal beacon that will stop fans of Metal and Extreme Metal right in their tracks. Don’t miss out on one of 2011’s most anticipated Metal releases… serve yourself Metal right and get your copy of SICKENING!
* SICKENING will be available through Amazon.com, iTunes, Emusic, cdbaby and a few other outlets within the next few weeks.
* SICKENING includes Throw It All Away, the single released in 2010. This amazing song features the astounding vocals of Belle Roka and the stellar musicianship of Eski. This melodically heavy side of Morphine Killer ignites! Throw It All Away was honored in Metal Odyssey’s Top Ten Songs of 2010! Check it out for yourself and give Throw It AllAway a listen by clicking the big links below!
ESKI OF MORPHINE KILLER – So 2010 has come and gone and that leaves me wondering – what is to become of this decade, music-wise? Will bands go and try to be “heavier” than any other band has gotten, or will we go back to a retro-pre-click track lo-fi days? It always seems like bands try to follow “trends” (if you want to call them that), instead of establishing a real identity. I always enjoy listening to what bands bring to the table, as opposed to listening to them because “they sound like so-and-so”. Here is my list for 2010:
#10
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA – ZOMBIE EP
#9
HELLOWEEN – 7 SINNERS
#8
THE CHARIOT – LONG LIVE
#7
OF MICE & MEN – OF MICE & MEN
#6
SOILWORK – THE PANIC BROADCAST
#5
HALFORD – HALFORD IV: MADE OF METAL
#4
DÅÅTH – DÅÅTH
#3
NEVERMORE – THE OBSIDIAN CONSPIRACY
#2
ESCAPE THE FATE – ESCAPE THE FATE
#1
AVENGED SEVENFOLD – NIGHTMARE
Honorable Mention (Non-Metal):
LIL WAYNE – I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING
Here’s to 2011 and hoping that Morphine Killer will be making everyone’s list next year!
* Below is a list of other great sites/bloggers that cover Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal and will be sharing their “Best Of 2010” lists and thoughts as well. It is well worth the trip to any and/or all of them!
IGLOO WARFARE – Brandon Ortiz, aka Eski, is a very busy guy these days. It is a minor miracle that Metal Odyssey caught up with him recently, to get a Metal lowdown on his side project Igloo Warfare. Metal instrumental ear candy is how I best sum up Igloo Warfare. With Eski being in full control of it’s creation, from playing every instrument heard, through production, to the final recorded songs, Igloo Warfare is his work of Metal art.
Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, band manager, promotion and marketing manager, record label owner (Final Breath Records) and every other imaginable title associated with overseeing his music getting heard and noticed, is what Eski is all about. Eski isn’t taking a bow to the “do-it-yourself” crowd, he is leaping over them with his envious drive and passion for the music he loves to create.
With Belle Roka by his side, there is also Morphine Killer keeping the Metal irons burning and the creative genius side of him stirring. Throw in the recent opportunity for Eski to step in to help Faithsedge on bass duties and you have not just a multi-taking musician… you have what is an example of devotion. Here is what Eski had to say:
Stone: So, Eski, how did the name Igloo Warfare come about?
Eski: I got the nickname “Eski” when I was about 15 years old, mainly due to the fact of looking like an eskimo, and being able to withstand the cold weather. I liked the idea of eskimos being up to something inside those igloos, so I went with “Igloo Warfare”, being a random Rock Band name I made up on the spot.
Stone: What inspires your songwriting for Igloo Warfare?
Eski: I love writing music, and usually what happens is I have a lot of Morphine Killer songs on the backburner, ready for vocals. But sometimes I will write songs for a particular mood, such as being an energetic video game song, or a moody movie song.
Stone: What comes easiest for you, writing music or playing it?
Eski: Writing it, definitely! There’s a lot of nuances that come around when it comes down to recording, and it has to be perfect. I have experimented with writing on the spot to the drums I program, because sometimes you just have to go where the music takes you.
Stone: I get that “Escape From New York” vibe on “Spider Whispers Death”. Did you initially set out for a Science Fiction meets Horror element with Igloo Warfare’s sound? Are you a fan of John Carpenter’s haunting movie scores?
Eski: I didn’t really set out for that vibe, but I wanted a sort of eerie vibe with the music, mixed with metal.. maybe that is the music version of science fiction meeting horror! Without knowing it, I have been influenced by John Carpenter! I love the Halloween movies, and Big Trouble In Little China (I loved that they got the idea for Raiden from Mortal Kombat from this movie).
Stone: Do you see your instrumentals being better suited for motion pictures or video games? Perhaps both?
Eski: I’d like to hope for both, but possibly more video games. I’d really like to get into either area if I could, though! I grew up with video games that had awesome music that helped inspire the mood, and I hope to do the same one day.
Stone: Will vocals ever be added to Igloo Warfare’s music?
Eski: I would like to think so! If they do, most likely they are going to end up a Morphine Killer song, unless someone else does vocals as a guest spot, and maybe we can release it as such.
Stone: With “Dopeth”, is it safe to say you are a fan of Opeth?
Eski: Absolutely, I love Opeth. Mikael Åkerfeldt is one of my favorite vocalists.
Metal Odyssey Note: Check out below, the Metal instrumental of Dopeth for yourself, courtesy of IGLOO WARFARE!
Stone: What’s the latest news you can share about Morphine Killer?
Eski: We’ve been working on ten or so songs that still need a bit more fine tuning. We’ve been really busy with our upcoming baby release than CD release, so please excuse us!
Stone: You and Belle are very much excused! A new baby on the way is much more important!
Stone: You’re also currently busy helping out Faiths Edge, handling the bass duties. What’s that been like?
Eski: It’s been really fun to just jam with friends and not feel the pressure of taking the reins so much. It’s also a really fun learning experience to work with another song writer and be able to bounce ideas off of each other. I helped him write a new song which might or might not appear on his next CD, so we’ll just have to wait and see!
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
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