It seems that Angel Marcloid isn’t slowing down with making music in 2021. Having released the EP I Can’t Die 5 months prior, there has been a rollout of singles towards her new LP, Eternal Home, one that happens to be a double album.
The thing with double album releases is that sometimes they can make or break the record as a whole. It can either help with how interesting the sound is and how further it can be pushed, or it can be too bloated with unnecessary filler or tracks, (something that is often associated with major hip-hop releases lately, for example), but that is not the case for Eternal Home. This bears repeating, but ever since that AS single from the 2018-19 era, Fire-Toolz has been on my radar with every project she drops, and hearing that this is a double album, I’m quite curious on how it’ll go for 78 minutes with 25 tracks.
But wait, there’s more: while it is a double album, the listing is split into 4 parts, mostly like EPs within the 2xLP. So I’m going to go into this section by section.
First off…
Gateless X-1
The album opens off with a fire starter of a track, “≈ In The Pinewaves ≈“, in pure Fire-Toolz fashion with a clash of screamo vocals and world music-sounding instrumentation with a sweet saxophone solo in the climax. “Odd Cat Sanctuary” continues on with its glossy, crystallized sound and distorted vocals/glitches along with a spoken word segment. Then at the halfway point, it goes hard with the drumming and guitar work, like you’re going extra hard on a level in any platforming game. “Yearning = Alchemical Fire” captures this whimsical early 90s computer game sound with a fascinating touch. Earlier single “Shenpa Indicator Light!!!” has this glitched out mixing and more of that weird signature saxophone sound.
The sparkle of hurt wiggles wormlike home
Address it in a night gown
Like a bear by the fire
No nightmares here now
Deep sleep cradling will followDry reflection, bad reception
No compassion, no affection
Before the golden dawn, I heard
The answer to the question
“Is it safe to open?”
“–＞ ¶rogressive –＞ ¶ath –＞” and “Umbilical Cord Blood” ends off this section with the weirdest freeform instrumentation, as the former progresses further into the track, and the latter going off slower than usual.
Amygdala Mandala
Starting off this section is “”Lellow＜ ”Birbs＜”, and all in that minute is a few seconds of calm, serene droning before getting heavy and loud with the chaotic drumming and boy, does it go hard! That style does continue in the track, “Яubber Band ￦rist” switching between aggressive playing and the calm down following it. I feel like half the tracks on this section follow the same protocol of having calmer, cryptic sections on each track as they go into their aggro style, although that’s not always the case. For example, there’s “(e)y(e)s w/o a %brain%” that goes on into this serene and distant atmosphere, and the section ends things off with “To Make Home, Be Home,” which has this acoustic guitar going that almost sounds like a futuristic country song at first before going into more expected territory.
Ego wreck worms in Elysian dreams
Wavering still-frames
Rays through plastic and paint
Warping shadow fantasyland
Place placements in my hand
Feet on the ground
Looking, I listen
Head tilted slightly up
Something’s transmitting
This Dreamstreet I drove to ripple and reflection
And swarming still dandelions dancing inflection
And the hissing breeze
Interfaith Fatigue
The singer/songwriter scope follows from the previous song to this one, “Thick_flowy_glowy_sparkly_stingy_pain.mpeg,” and the gentle guitar/sparkly instrumentation compliments this song wholeheartedly, and we can add “Where On EARTH Is My Sacchidānanda?” on there, too. It also combines the screamo vocals from Angel with smoother pop rock vibes, and that also has a droning outro. “Advaita §huffling” is most definitely my favorite track of the entire album because this switches things from the last two tracks and has this action sci-fi adrenaline drive to it with its shuffling/scratchy/distorted production. Then we get into the “video-game esque” sounding tracks with “Awakening™ Fantasy II” and the two Window tracks: “Window 2 WIndow 2 Window 2 Window” and “Window 2 Window 2 Window 2 Window 2 Window.” Between the two of them, the latter one might be my favorite out of them.
Thought cannot think of what is higher than thinking
As the light cannot reach around the surface that stopped it
I stupidly weighed it, blown up and out
Every piece of synchronicity
‘Cause I want a voice to scream at me
I want a voicе
I want a voice to scream at me
Home For Now (No, it’s not the next Spider-Man movie)
And now we’re at the final section of the album, hitting it off with “I Am A Cloud.” It’s standard fare by now but I’m still in awe listening to it. However, then we get to “This Particular Universe Is Friendly ;)” and it draws us in with this alluring outer space intro, and as you can expect, the drums kick in followed by a barrage of different sounds and effects going in and out as it goes back to the calming effect. The rest of the songs have that same effect going on but the ending track, “World of Objects, Minus Fields,” is a great way to finish all the album as a whole.
Overall, this double album didn’t disappoint with what it delivers. There are lots of great moments in there, and it’s an easy recommendation for those that love her work so far, but if you’re too uneasy with the album length, just go through it by sections depending on how you feel. The whole thing is a blissful yet chaotic 78 minutes that you’ll love and won’t regret.
FINAL VERDICT: Buy It. You will feel anything but far from your eternal home.
ETERNAL HOME is out on Hausu Mountain Records. You can purchase the album via her Bandcamp through digital download, CD, cassette, and vinyl coming soon at a later date. It is also available on many streaming services.