Ea are a doom band from Russia and one with lofty ambitions at that. Their lyrics have been written utilising dead languages that have been recreated on the basis of archaeological study so that the voices of ancient civilisations can speak to us across the intervening centuries. ‘Hey baby let’s party’ this ain’t – musically, lyrically or intellectually. Although to be honest the use of these dead languages does mean I am left completely in the dark as to what the ancients might have been trying to say, so maybe they were just suggesting a few cold ones?
Anyway, enough frivolity, it’s just not fitting when discussing the majestic, monolithic doom of Ea. The studied and sombre tones of these three enormous tracks are very impressive. The guitars shift from note to note like the painful footsteps of some wounded, heartbroken giant, the drums rumble like distant thunder and those ancient words of unknown meaning are intoned with such quiet gravity, like raindrops eroding stone. Keyboards paint broad swathes of melancholic colour across the vast, bleak canvases making the overall effect all the more absorbing.
Au Ellai is only recommended to those who like to feel whole civilisations rising up and dying away again between each drum beat – but if you do like your music slow, gargantuan and drowning in sorrowful emotion then Ea will not disappoint. You can actually feel the day passing, watch the sun seemingly race across the sky, when you’re lost in the epic deserts of Ea so don’t start listening unless you have aeons of time to spare and are in the right mood to drift away.
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