Hyatari

Back in 2004, Earache Records did something amazing: they signed a licensing deal with UK label Code:Breaker for the domestic releases of a handful of phenomenal doom bands (Unfold, Zatokrev, Abandon and Hyatari). Hyatari wowed fans with the following year's The Light Carriers, a slo-mo tornado of vocal-less prog doom experimentation. Sadly, the deal was short-lived and Hyatari are back in their home state of West Virginia with their latest on Caustic Eye. Guitarist Mac Walker and bassist Chris Tackett turn 180 degrees from their former alterna-metal outfit Chum and offer one of the finest NeurIsis entries in They Will Surface. The album opens with the title track, beginning with Zeni Geva-like industrial noise, then molasses-sticky drum beats and soaring keys that recall Robert Fripp's most plaintive soundscapes. The 15-minute "Abyssal Plain" is an exemplar of the genre: serene guitar washes, crestfallen reverberating chords, plodding drum beats and epic cymbal crashes. "Prolonged Exposure" and "Eight Feet of Ash" have Disappearer-esque climaxes, while "By the Throne" closes the proceedings with more graceful doom. Like Pelican with City of Echoes, Hyatari are developing exponentially into one of the underground's best outfits.