Gifts From Enola

Vir ginia post-rock band Gifts from Enola, founded in 2005, released their fifth album, the self-titled Gifts from Enola, ear lier this month. With Gifts from Enola, the band has fur ther devel oped its rich instru men tal sound to cre ate an ener getic, tightly-packed album which, while suf fer ing from cer tain less-than-exciting sec tions, is gen er ally quite interesting.

Gifts from Enola does a very good job with the con struc tion each of its five tracks, as well as the ele ments from which they’re con structed. Cre ative instru men tals, includ ing excel lent per cus sion, are mixed across a num ber of both dis crete and care fully woven lay ers to cre­ate the album’s com plex sound. The band does a good job of vary ing their approach, espe­cially between tracks. This is made even more ben e fi cial to the over all sound of the album through care ful use of tran si tions, which allow for near-seamless travel between tracks.

Along with the band’s main instru men tal styles, the band includes cer tain quite dif fer ent inter ludes and ele ments. These regret tably include the ill-advised vocal inte gra tion of tracks like “Dime and Suture” - but also sig nif i cantly bet ter cho sen sec tions, such as the excel lent clos ing sec tion of “Lion ized,” which uses a echo ing ver sion of 40s style music to lend a new atmos phere to the track.

While Gifts from Enola is cer tainly an inter est ing album, a num ber of flaws pre vent it from being excel lent. Most impor tant of these flaws is the vari abil ity in qual ity along the album. Cer tain sec tions are excel lent, dis play ing the per fect mix of the band’s instru men tal con tri­bu tions. How ever, it’s regret tably com mon for those excel lent sec tions to be fol lowed by or even sur rounded by much less inter est ing parts. While rep e ti tion lead ing up to a grand crescendo is quite com mon as well as quite com monly well done in post-rock, in a num ber of places on Gifts from Enola it seems more like mediocre sec tions are sim ply being over-repeated to set the stage for the excel lent sec tions. This rep e ti tion isn’t helped by very long tracks, which, while also a sta ple of the genre, on Gifts from Enola seem to lose steam - not at the end, where they gen er ally exit with their great est energy - but at var i ous places along the way.

Gifts from Enola is largely instru men tal, with a few notable (and mostly regret table) excep­tions. As pre vi ously stated, one of these is “Dime and Suture“‘s under ly ing vocal por tion, which is best described as “metal-styled.” How ever, instead of pro vid ing the short digres­sion from the band’s nor mal meth ods that you might expect, this and other such sec tions (which are admit tedly gen er ally lower-key than that on “Dime and Suture”) dis tract the lis­tener from the band’s instru men tal strenghts, redi rect ing the music in a way that does lit tle to improve it.

Given Gifts from Enola’s flaws, it is not quite an excel lent album. How ever, thanks to a great deal of cre ativ ity on the part of Gifts from Enola, both in the con struc tion of the album and in the con tri bu tions of each of the band’s mem bers, it is cer tainly an inter est ing one. Though Gifts from Enola suf fers from a num ber of weak sec tions, those sec tions which are suc­cess ful are gen er ally quite suc cess ful, such that the album is, by the end, cer tainly more good than bad. - Plumbiferous Media

Gifts From Enola has just released its new official music video for "Dime and future".

This song is extracted from fourth album of GFE available since July 13th in CD and beautiful deluxe limited LP on The Mylene Sheath.... - Metal Express Radio

This is not simply and trite as the most post-rock of our times. This is really heavy. Gifts from Enola already have 2 albums and this is their third one. I have previously listen to a split release they had back in 2008, but now I think they sound closer to post metal bands like Isis and Pelican than post-rock legends. I believe, as I already said for Caspian, that they are also a post-rock oriented band with a metal attitude. Their music is fantastic and the angry guitars promote a heavy profile and a noisy idea. This is the heavier side of post-rock today and GfE try to develop it more and more. I think these two bands could make the difference in this banal and bland music style that dies year per year. Their style is unique and I think lots of bands have to copy some ideas from them in order to evolve modern rock and metal music. Their imagination and the abundant inspiration they have is their advantage. Their music could be favorite for metal, post, progressive, pop, experimental, noise and ambient fans. Their noisy wall and the atmosphere they create is great and the compositions stack in your head. Try Gifts From Enola and it could be your favorite too. This is intelligent and this is modern metal - NoiZine

At some point a post-rock explosion occurred in the music world, sending a glut of experimental bands into the atmosphere like a sonic version of Mt. St. Helens. What this means is that 1) there is no shortage of options for the picky post-rock fan, and 2) any band that wishes to transcend nameless mediocrity needs to do something really different to capture an audience. Enter Gifts from Enola. Hailing from Virginia, and only one year removed from the acclaimed From Fathoms, the band brings us its self-titled third album, a collection of five tracks that explores the soft-to-loud-and-back-again sound that this brand of instrumentalism embodies.

Gifts from Enola, unlike label mates Caspian, opt for a meatier sound more akin to that of Pelican or even ISIS, using the menacing bombast of drums and an alternation of guitar work to pummel the point into the listener between reprieves. Opening track “Lionized” exemplifies this style of arrangement, though it closes oddly with a spaced-out sample of music from the ‘30s or ‘40s. “Dime and Suture” progresses in similar fashion, but with the addition of nearly inaudible, ambiguous lyrics. “Alagoas” is more pensive in its approach before it launchws into some really energetic riffs, and the disjointed voices of “Grime and Glass” produce a haunting effect. Closer “Rearview” lets the bass shine through, almost to the point of overpowering the song, and it achieves a sense of paranoia, escape, and, ultimately, safety. The creation of a mood, a means of relief that invariably involves some kind of outburst, and catharsis; these are the things that define this weighty self-titled album. Less introspective than Laura, and more overtly (and angrily) emotive than Explosions in the Sky, Gifts from Enola shows us the heavier side of post-rock while reminding us to stop, inhale, and release - PopMatters

When an album arrives on your desk is so good that despite having a promo copy you immediately go out and buy a vinyl copy as well you know it must be something special. Gifts from Enola play a unique brand of heavy post-rock that sees them veer between the heavier elements of Mogwai and sonic youth and the more ethereal moments from Isis and Neurosis.

First track Lionized is the perfect introduction to the album – a hypnotic and heavy beat propels swirling, psychedelic guitars before a satisfyingly chunky riff takes over, quickening the pace and getting the blood pumping. Jazzy, metallic and extremely interesting Gifts from Enola immediately mark out their territory as band with talent and inspiration to spare. Following such a perfect introduction is never easy but the stately groove of ‘Dime and suture’ does a great job as the cleverly interwoven guitars drag the listener in and the pounding beats give way to a more progressive, spacey dynamic. The musicians are, without exception, exemplary and the ideas shooting out of each song are enough to provide most bands with several albums over, let alone one song.

As if to utterly confound expectations ‘Alagoas’ surf is on a wave of Hawaiian surf guitar before an oddly syncopated beat shifts the track into another dimension completely. It’s beautiful, relaxing song that sees the addition of quiet vocals that recall nothing so much as long-lost art-rock/indie legends Deus who used to specialise in this kind of arty weirdness. Of course, this being Gifts from Enola, it’s never quite that easy and the whole track expands into a glorious wave of sound that leads you nicely into ‘Grime and glass’ – a fractured, punk-infused attack on the senses filled with jarring rhythms and taught angular guitar that echoes the mighty Fugazi on their ‘Instrument’ soundtrack. Standing entirely at odds with the majestic ‘Alagoas’, ‘grime and glass’ is a highlight of this excellent album and it will thrill anyone who loves Sonic Youth but wishes that they’d occasionally go for the jugular rather more than they do.

Final track ‘rearview’ brings this all-too-brief album to a close with a wall of echoing guitar and a monstrous bass sound that is destined to sound amazing live. A coiled, slithery track that slides in and out of the listeners reach – it is on ‘rearview’ that you truly appreciate the Gifts from Enola have set a new standard for largely instrumental post-rock. And with that, the band leave you, aching for more but equally over-awed that a band can come together and produce something quite so thrilling while barely approaching the microphone – it’s like the first time you heard Mogwai’s ‘King herod’ or Isis and just like those bands Gifts from Enola make it all sound so effortless. Not a beat is wasted nor a riff over-milked – everything here serves its purpose and evaporates before you have a chance to fully appreciate the brilliance of what you’ve just heard.

This is an album to be treasured, savoured over and over again and shown off to friends whenever you can corner them. Utterly engaging and simply brilliant there will be few releases this year to match the beauty and sonic power of Gifts from Enola. Available either in a digi-pack or on double vinyl (clearly the better option) and for a low price from the mylenesheath store, there is no excuse not to track this amazing work of art down. Simply stunning.
- Sonic Abuse

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Post-rock Group Push Boundaries and Avoid Cliche
Post-rock can be a dangerous genre to tackle. First, you've got to figure out if you've got the chops to remain musically appealing and diverse, after all much of post-rock is based around long instrumental passages and an ability to transition. Second, you've got to find a way to come at the genre that is more creative than just build and break, build and break. Sure, post-rock may not be packing the airwaves or MTV, but there are enough established bands in the genre already that if you want a chance at the plate you better be ready to hit a home run.

These are the challenges Gifts From Enola face with their third album, From Fathoms, and for the most part they succeed. The musicianship offered here is technical without being overbearing, and diverse without being out on a limb quality. Then there is also the band's ability to ponder all sorts of instrumental passages rather than just the release tension cliché. The tempos and moods shift here expertly and often in dramatic and unexpected ways.

Opener "Benthos" may seem like it is set to ride trite post-rock prerequisites into the ground, but instead manages some jaw-dropping shifts. Opening with a warm beautiful nod to Appleseed Cast the song at first goes through the soft/loud routine, showing that Gifts From Enola could have scored Friday Night Lights just as well as Explosions in the Sky, before suddenly dipping into the sort of rhythmically complex post-hardcore of At the Drive-In and finally and a metal-tinged freak out of epic and noisy proportions.

"Weightless Frame" rests somewhere between the thick shoegazing guitars of My Bloody Valentine and synth-pop before an extended outro full of acoustic guitar, fuzzy samples, and even harmonica. It might sound strange on paper, but Gifts From Enola manage to make these transitions seamlessly almost as if the song would sound strange anyway else.

Follow up, "Weightless Thought," really changes things up with a choppy post-punk tune that gradually rises to a dangerous boil of overflowing guitar work and cymbal crashes. It is a powerful song that dares you to ignore your want to tap a foot or pound a steering wheel.

- associatedcontent.com

From Fathoms is terrific. Its quality is the first of its species in a while, making its near-flawless post-metal sprawl simply gargantuan. What other adjectives could be dished out in praise? “Powerful?” “Moving?” “Abysmal?” One could probably even use the word “terrifying” after the 12 minute “Trieste” finishes its gnashing. Either way, it is clear that the album is an instrumental band’s juicy chef d'oeuvre – and that enthusiasts should and will consume it without question.

The masterminds behind this piece of work are Virginia band Gifts From Enola. The sextet has achieved an increased sense of cohesiveness since 2006’s release Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind, and it pays off on From Fathoms. As soon as the inception of “Benthos’” first climax effulges, it becomes evident that the band understands dexterous and unified song-writing. Despite standing on genre ceremony for the most part, each song is unmistakably passionately crafted, making for an above average listen; think If These Trees Could Talk with more intricacy.

The “Trieste” monster proves this point. The track begins with the post-rock standard of almost oriental guitar notes over a nebulous background atmosphere of distant noise and tumbles into an intense point two minutes in with all instruments firing at full force. It glides through a series of peaks and valleys in the same vein as the opening portion, but begins a buildup more notable than previous ones at the five minute mark. One ascending minute later, the anticipation can no longer contain its pressure. Like a grand release of urine after being held in for hours, the accumulation erupts in a volcanic display of open-chord, chug-chug violence, destroying every rule of calm post-rock in one wild segment.

Every carefully constructed stint gets just as loud, though not necessarily as savage. “Weightless Frame” begins with airy electronics before blasting off into beautiful hard rock, while follow-up “Weightless Thought” contrasts neatly by opening with abstract indie instrumentation. It too later builds into a more organized climax, however, perhaps hinting at some relation between the tracks’ concepts.

Shout-outs to metal are the most interesting subtleties to be discovered. The signature double-bass is never used even in the fiercest of breakdowns, but foggy screams (made murky on purpose to maintain rawness) can be fished out amongst the music. “Benthos” first introduces them in its waning notes, and listeners can then discover them in various other spots throughout the album. Though they never span a period of more than 5 seconds, they’re ear candy because they reveal the extent to which Gifts From Enola draws from metal and heap more wood into the bonfire of a moment’s ferocity.

Heavy music fans are often heard complaining about vocals ruining what could have been great music. In this case, From Fathoms is a solution. It combines beauty with all the barbaric extremity anyone could want in a hard rock album, all the while keeping vocals at a minimum, and everything else at a resounding success. “Soar up above the rest, and swim up past the sun…” the single page lyric booklet reads, and that is exactly what this is – a triumph story of a new generation of post-rock, claiming its rightful place with the coming of another full-length as a genre elite.

- Matthew Tsai

Gifts from Enola compose some stormy, watery post-rock with From Fathoms, their second full-length. That's not to say this is a watered-down representation of the style, but rather the sort that cascades, flows and abrupts unpredictably to both immediate and lasting effect.

Like early This Will Destroy You, the band often like to fake early climaxes, with a sudden rush of sound swelling only a minute into opener "Benthos" and followup "Weightless Frame." But things gradually dial down so things can be built back up again, with an eclectic ambition at that. The act's mathy tendencies is present in "Benthos," as a jarring change occurs just prior to the three-minute mark before guitars collide and froth, with gravelly screamed vocals, utilized in incredibly sparse portions, emphasizing the tension. Electronic machinery ticks and clicks for "Weightless Frame," like a sedated 65daysofstatic, before ominously gut-wrenching and prickly acoustic layers make up a mid-section that gives way to overcrowding noise and ambience.

From Fathoms, at least as far as the first half is concerned, seems to largely succeed because it takes so many subtle chances and they often work mesmerizingly. "Weightless Thought" actually kicks it off with a somewhat dance-y indie rock beat that sounds an awful lot like "The Red Bedroom" off No Knife's Riot for Romance!, and proceeds with some duel guitar riffing and intermittent layers of spacey sound. "Trieste" has the closest thing to a repetitive groove before metallic thuds punch through a few minutes in; the rest of its 12-minute course is interesting, though not quite as much as From Fathom's other mentioned moments.

That actually might be the point where From Fathoms starts to struggle a bit. The second half isn't quite as alluring, as much as more simple, "straightforward" patterns, methods and natural explosions in "Melted Wings" and "Thawed Horizon" work nicely just as they are. Dialogue sound bites do help "Thawed Horizon" become a bit more entrancing.

Nonetheless, a little front-loadedness isn't enough to totally damage From Fathoms. A very compelling sophomore LP with lots of successful ambition and enlivening moments, Gifts from Enola has done well here and likely produced one of the more notable releases of the style this year.

- Punknews.com

Count on From Fathoms. Its dramatic, monumental skeleton is formidable and entrancing. Gifts From Enola didn’t simply type their formula into the Almighty Post-Rock Calculator. They took brooding atmospheres and injected them with ghastly screams, driving beats and more than enough enigmatic head-scratching.

The band is the same but it isn’t. Line-up changes and the opportunity to record outside of their claustrophobic bedrooms has turned From Fathoms into a mesmerizing homage to all things BIG. Album epicenter “Trieste”, for example, purposefully eludes any overt need to crush our brains during its 12-minute runtime. The build-up becomes a long plateau of trashcan guitars and Acid-Test rave beats, but if all that sounds too nutty – I’ve been doing too many crosswords lately – just know that From Fathoms is a glorious breath of fresh, cerebral air.

More Moving Mountains than EITS, “Resurface” features intermittent singing and a chaotic entangling of rising guitar swirls and foot-stomping drums. It’s almost like Gifts From Enola didn’t fully understand where each new step would lead them, yet there’s a trust in their songwriting that seems to create confidence with each new note. And still, for every unexpected moment (like the acoustic outro of “Resurface”), there’s more than enough driving rock (“Thawed Horizon”). It’s instrumental music that possesses tricks by the truckload. The From Monument To Masses-esque “Weightless Frame” is another new turn for the band with its reliance on electronics and smart usages of “found” sounds. Before you say it, fine, this has been done before, but there’s something to be said for a band who know in every fiber of their being that they can do it better.

While they take successful stabs at the niche genres within instrumental music, there is still plenty of stick-to-your-guns gut punches. Closer “Aves” is just as melodic as it is violent. The three guitarists of Gifts From Enola move in and out of ridiculously difficult riffage into stunningly forceful walls o’ sound. And any fan of the band will realize that this is the last song: there must, excuse me, MUST be a payoff the size of an atom bomb. Jud Mason’s drums lead the way into a climax that’s expected but different. We aren’t pummeled into that mildly anti-social motion of looking at the floor and banging our heads. Instead we look up at our friends, grab the closest air guitar, and start wailing away like the mad men that we so wish to be. Group singing in the background adds to the excitement and also serves as one last reminder that this band is going wherever the hell they want. And please, I beg you: don’t try to stop them.

- Absolutepunk.net

Post-rock has predictably reached its stage of full saturation, becoming the self-loathing cliché that wasn't hard to see coming. Bands are unfairly and mockingly compared to Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, and This Will Destroy You, whose stranglehold over the genre have made them a benchmark for those that follow suit and a constant reminder of the jadedness of the post-rock complex.

For the past four years, Gifts from Enola have tried to ignore those comparisons, and perhaps tear down the walls they have created. The band's 2006 debut, Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind, was evidence that the group had no desire to be a complacent post-rock band brimming with false bird-on-a-wire hope. Rather, that optimism - a barrier and gimmick the genre has tried to lean on - was pulverized, built back up, and then sonically destroyed again.

From Fathoms, which has been meticulously tweaked and worked on for the past two years, is the mature and natural follow-up to the band's 2006 debut. Drawing on influences as diverse as Botch, Deftones, and Converge as much as their post-rock contemporaries, From Fathoms is a journey directly into the depths of unspoken pathos and Paleolithic barbarism.

Opening with an ambient guitar and shaking cymbols and ending with harmonious and hopeful shouts to heaven seven songs later, From Fathoms plays end to end almost seamlessly.

While Gifts From Enola incorporates two guitar players on From Fathoms (a third was added after the recording), a bass player and a drummer, their arsenal of sound and noise is unrelenting and daunting. As the conclusion of one song bleeds into the next, it coagulates into something substantial before flowing elsewhere. “Weightless Frame” turns a dying symbol smash into a lonesome harmonica as the song fades to a wall of noise, until the next song, “Weightless Thought,” opens with an alarm clock and completely new tempo.

From Fathoms is full of moments of inspiration and beauty, most notably in “Melted Wings,” as the ethereal tapping of drum sticks and airy chords toy with climax until the sky eventually opens up. However, Gifts From Enola are at their best when their music unleashes pent up hell – vocals muddled and yelled to complete oblivion, bass and guitar forming an uncontested cataclysm. “Trieste” waits six minutes before exploding into the most terrifying and deafening wall of sound on the album, and although the band can rely too heavily on primitively smashing on cymbals, their capability of destruction is thoroughly impressive.

At its core, From Fathoms is an album of past regrets and frustrations being exorcised and washed away, with the realization that tomorrow brings change. As the post-rock machine rusts and crumbles under its own weight, that change is necessary. From Fathoms has taken the genre and redefined it, pushing boundaries and setting new precedents for what post-rock can accomplish it in the future.
- Scenepointblank.com

Harrisonburg, Virginia’s Gifts from Enola have had one of the toughest jobs in music for the past several years. Upon deciding to become an instrumental band prior to 2006, the six members entered one of the most whispered genres found in music today. To combine a lack of vocals with a uniquely niche sound now virtually guarantees a passionate overnight cult following - replete with gaudy special edition vinyl releases, haughty party name drops, and fans that will virtually pray during your live performances. However, miss the mark or make a copycat and you’ll be laudably passed into an obscurity that even mainstream one-hit-wonders would pity. GFE seemed fully aware when releasing oh-six’s Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind, an album that was at once so post-metal and fresh in the style of freshmen that it seemed like it could have created itself. This is precisely the sort of group you would expect to fall victim to the oft-spoken “sophomore slump,” but come June, the band’s second album From Fathoms will likely silence many doubts about their candor.

What lacked on Loyal Eyes has clearly been addressed on From Fathoms. The album opens with in a way that’s become so commonplace it must be loved, a gentle guitar strum softly ushers in a quick porcelain guitar lead before exploding into orchestrated madness. “Benthos” is the perfect choice among the album’s eight songs for an opener; it foreshadows the new tightness and courage the band has reigned in, as well as succinctly summarizing most of the elements of the music that can be expected by new listeners. What follows is a five minute lecture from the band on exactly why you should have a new found respect for what they’ve been working on. No matter what your current activity, ears will perk at the opening minute of second track “Weightless Frame”: no instrumental fan would deny its beauty. Skipping a note by note description, the song instantly combines the best parts of God is an Astronaut with 65daysofstatic, but with a twist: halfway the song smoothly hits the breaks and devolves into a calm and sparkling folk mood reminiscent of something off Doves' Lost Souls.

If Gifts from Enola were an author and “Weightless Frame” the title of its bestselling book of short stories, then fourth track “Trieste“ is its magnum opus. The song begins slowly and wanders along, gaining momentum in bursts of the band's signature sounds of post-rock mixed with backing metal guitar. Over twice the duration of anything else on the album, it has the effect of making the listener highly impressed with the succession of songs before realizing that it’s a single track. This one song is a play in three acts, three dramatic and distinct parts that return to a morphing central riff and drum combination over low-volume guttural vocals. Every part of the band’s oeuvre is contained in what can hardly be denied is a truly epic instrumental effort. If you weren’t sold on the talent by this point, the band will have your attention afterward.

For fans of the original album, several things have been altered in creating this newer/shinier GFE. A browse over the track listing quickly reveals a trend towards brevity that is somewhat disappointing compared to their debut. Titles like “We Watched Them Lose Our Minds” and “Screaming at Anything That Moved” on the first album are here replaced by more nondescript track names - “Aves”, “Resurface”, “Melted Wings”. After several listens, it seems as though the creativity put into naming the tracks has on this second album been put into playing them; any fan of the first album’s “In the Company of Others” has noticed the glaring off-key tendencies of the backup guitarist. That’s gone now, each member seeming to have practiced his individual role thoroughly in preparing for a much stronger combined effort. There is more patience on this second album as well, more calm and beautiful parts that don’t sound forced at all, but instead serve to highlight the heavier riffs that serve as the band’s foundation. “Melted Wings”, in fact, is nearly six minutes of mostly gorgeous acoustic play finished off by a solid post-rock breakdown.

There is little to no reason not to thoroughly explore From Fathoms from beginning to end. There are two types of extremes when it comes to instrumental music fans: those that cling heavily to the staple sounds of the genre and those that appreciate quite a bit of deviance from them. Paradoxically, GFE satisfy the needs of both these preferences by continuing on the road they set down on Loyal Eyes with a giant heart ready to break even their own rules. The record isn’t flawless - some strangely placed nineties garage riffs anchor “Weightless Thought” despite the song’s overall listenability. The metalesque vocals are sometimes spot-on in their low rumbling quality (and always set fairly far in the background, a great production decision here), but other times they have a "cute" quality that gives away the college stud - Brendan Kraft

Gifts From Enola are an instrumental post-rock outfit from Virginia comprised of five or six members (depending on who's counting) who specialize in intricately arranged, guitar-heavy rock ranging from chugging metal climaxes to delicate, spacey interludes. The band created some buzz with 2006's Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind and now they're back with From Fathoms, an eight-song, 57-minute odyssey that should have fans of the genre enraptured with carefully constructed and skillfully executed movements constantly shifting and evolving in both style and intensity. Though music of this type isn't usually my 'thing,' I found From Fathoms to be a thoroughly fascinating and very listenable album that maintains my interest throughout its nearly hour-long duration.

Much of Gifts from Enola's appeal lies in their ability to create such a gargantuan and complex piece of music that maintains its accessibility while simultaneously providing a stimulating and occasionally challenging listening experience. The band's arrangements on From Fathoms are often noisy and dense, but rarely feel oppressive or heavy-handed, and the slower, more delicate sections of the album serve as both a respite from the din and as genuinely fascinating musical movements by their own merit. The album's centerpiece, the 12-minute epic "Trieste," best encapsulates the band's ability to deliver moments of thundering cacophony, while follower "Resurface" showcases the boys at their most hauntingly beautiful. It's a strange, engrossing ride all the way through the appropriately placed "Aves," the most emotionally triumphant tune of the bunch.

The more I listen to this record, the more I enjoy it, and I suppose with most instrumental albums that should be the case, but I've been pleasantly surprised to find how much I like listening to From Fathoms from beginning to end even after some intensive time with it prior to this review. I realize there's a good chance that I haven't properly described their sound, so check out the band on MySpace where you can hear a good chunk of the new album.

- Chris N.

Rolling out huge equipment and several lights, it was a clear signal that Gifts From Enola were going to be louder than any band you’re likely to see outside of a stadium. Fortunately they were never loud for the sake of being loud. They were not, for instance, as blisteringly face-melting as Isis. But they did play music as sonically rich and heavy. You might call their sound a gloriously abrasive flood of dense guitar atmospheres across the sonic spectrum.
Some might wish they were a metal band, but they were too far outside the box on their song dynamics and their penchant for creating ambient stretches inside their songs. Playing some of their greatest song from both their latest onslaught ‘From Fathoms’ (buy) and their debut ‘Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind (buy),’ the band barely paused between songs, making the entire experience feel more like a journey rather than a tiny concert in tiny venue. They clearly cared about mood and how their sounds affected the listener emotionally and not merely if they were rocking harder than anyone had ever seen before.

The drummer, though, made their overall sound a lot more organic since he didn’t just play as fast and as furiously as he could. He went for a more tribal sound that always packs more of a punch rather than some acts that think they need to just assail us with double-kick rolls. That kind of thing doesn’t hit you hard — knowing when to use all your components does, and this band knew how to do it. Sure, they ran into a technical issue with the lights out about halfway through their set but they leapt that chasm and showed us how you can use aggression creatively in music while also stirring the body, heart, and imagination.

- Katarokkar.cribble.net

How much virtuous throttling can one tiny stage take? Put six men from Virginia in the corner of the short-ceilinged Sunset Tavern in Ballard and you might not see a more amazing, skull opening performance. I feel like every night in the city there is one show you could go to that would far surpass all the other shows available. Not many people came to see Gifts From Enola open for other local instrumental acts Joy Wants Eternity and Misery Love Company, but there were enough on hand to justify such a livid and inspiring performance.
The Enola Gay was one of the American planes that dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, and though their cheeky moniker is befitting of their epic, angular guitar brigade, Gifts From Enola started their show by giving the gift of ear plugs. Guitarist and keyboardist Tim Skirvin offered up a couple extra pairs of the precious ear foam before all five members leapt into their opener. They were collectively swaying and stomping, heads and beards darting betwixt each other, and firing each other up. It was an infectious beginning, one that fired this writer up to dance.
Highlights from the show included the monstrous Trieste, the twelve-minute center-piece off their brand new From Fathoms disc (the vinyl version of which is so premium and beautiful). With as many movements as a three act play, the band moved between pretty interplay among the three guitars, dreamy neck-hammering over synth washes, gigantic metal assaults complete with off-the-mic screams from bassist Nate Dominy, and momentous rock jams that contain a wealth of dynamism. This band can play! The sound inside The Sunset Tavern was average, but the guys from GFE later said their sound on stage was the clearest of their large North American tour.
Gifts From Enola impress with their stagemanship; no song is left to hang. Sound and sonic detail is constant as they move through a set. Silence was used as a tool, not a chance to catch one’s breath. They even brought a lighting artist with them on tour, further boosting the stage presence. LJ Stank, they call him, and he is just as into the music as the players, bobbing and thrashing at his console. At one point he changed shirts without anyone noticing. They finished with the album closer Aves, which climaxes with over-the-horizon guitar worshiping and all-together-now vocal harmonies. It’s just so incredible to be in such a small space and witness such a great band absolutely destroy. Who knew? More people ought to. Gifts From Enola are genuine, passionate artists that deserve to be heard.

http://www.seattleshowgal.com/giftsfromenola/ - Seattleshowgal.com

Harrisonbug, VA’s Gifts from Enola are in a difficult position. They are a post rock instrumental group that needs to set themselves apart from instrumental giants like Explosions in the Sky, Mono, and Mogwai and raising stars like Caspian and God is an Astronaut. The good news: they are doing very well at keeping afloat in a over-saturated genre filled with wannabees and copycats. The very good news: Gifts will be releasing their second full length, From Fathoms on Mylene Sheath Records on June 9th on CD and double LP. Gifts from Enola slowly became a respected member of the instrumental rock movement with their cinematic and mountainous album, Loyal Eyes Betrayed The Mind. An album as epic as it is emotional. Raw in production yet beautiful in execution, the album towers with a genuine emotive power. You can purchase the double LP of Loyal Eyes Betrayed The Mind (recommended) here.

Gifts from Enola will be doing a short 4 date tour in their home state of Virginia before heading to Rubbles in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan to open for the always amazing Appleseed Cast.

Guitarist Andrew Barnes was ever so nice to swing by the Kata Rokkar and answer the world famous Kuestionnaire.

1. Of all the bands/artists in your CD/record collection, which one is your most cherished?
My Dad had me grow up on “The Band” (bob dylan’s old backing band), and I’ve realized lately that I’ve been constantly influenced or inspired by their music in some shape or form for all 22 years of my life. So I’d have to say The Band’s 1969 self-titled album.

2. What have you been listening to lately?
Lots of Tortoise, Rob Crow projects, Talk Talk, Botch, Early Day Miners Hieroglyphics and American Football.

3. What’s your favorite local band?
I’d have to say “A Cosmonaut’s Ruin” from Charlottesville, Va.

4. What was the last show you attended?
I saw my friends in Nervous Habits play right down the street in Harrisonburg, Va. Punk rock done right.

5. What was the greatest show you’ve ever been to?
That’s really hard to say. I’ve came out of lots of shows thinking they were the best I’ve seen, but they are all for different reasons. I don’t think I can choose just one.

6. What show are you looking forward to?
We’re playing with our friends in Constants and Caspian in a couple weeks and I’m really excited to see them again. Del The Funky Homosapien is coming close in May…that man puts on a hell of a show. I think Mogwai is touring the states sometime soon. I might have to check that out, I’ve never seen them live. I’m really bad at keeping up with shows in the area.

7. What musician would you like to hang out/work with for a day?
This question would be answered wayyy differently by everyone in the band. I don’t know if I could pick just one. For me; I would love to hang out with Rob Crow. He’s such a strange and unassuming guy that writes some of the simplest and most amazing songs I’ve ever listened to. I’d want to hang out with Dave Knudson so that he can teach me his ridiculous guitar techniques. I feel like Mike Patton or Tom Waits would have some great stories and be really interesting dudes to hang out with too. Like I said though, this would be wayyy different if you asked any of the other guys.

8. What four albums you would bring to a deserted island?
Really hard. I’d probably change my mind about this in 5 minutes.
Tim And Eric- “Awesome Record, Great Songs”
Botch- “We Are The Romans”
Pink Floyd- “Meddle”
Mr. Bungle- “California”

9. Would you call yourself a music geek?
I’d say so. I don’t know what that defines exactly, but I’m constantly searching for new, interesting music to keep my ears and brain content.

10. Any favorite music-related videos/DVDs you own?
Our bass player (and roomate) Nate has the “Refused are Fucking Dead” DVD that documents the career of Refused. That one is put together amazingly. Botch’s “061502? is a great raw dvd of their final show. And of course, Sigur Ros’s “Heima” is pretty breathtaking.

11. What’s the last book you read?
The last book I read was “The Plot Against America” by Philip Roth. Right now, I’m in the middle of “Cracking India” by Bapsi Sidhwa.

12. Do you prefer live performances or recording in the studio?
They are two totally different worlds for us. The amount of fun and instant gratification of playing a live show is irreplaceable by any other kind of musical experience. On the other hand, having a record in your hands of something you put months or years into and feel proud of, is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

13. Any embarrassing moments on stage you’d like to share?
The first that comes to mind is a show we played about 2 years ago. I think it was maybe like the 9th or 10th show we had ever played. Nate, CJ, and I all live in Harrisonburg, Va and our show was about an hour and a half away. We packed up our gear and drove to the venue. We get there and CJ realized he forgot his guitar. This usually wouldn’t be too much - Katarokkar.cribble.net

In the realm of instrumental post-rock, it seems there are certain requirements that a band must fulfill in order to “fit in.” Since their 2006 debut Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind, Gifts from Enola have always been a band that managed to satisfy the demands of their genre with lengthy song titles, emotional swells, and soaring lead guitars, while also bringing something new to the table. On 2009’s From Fathoms, the band delivered an atmospherically dense and technically wonderful experience that proved their status as more than a one-trick pony. Unfortunately, with the release of their latest self-titled effort, the band seems to be stuck within the mindset of their previous successes while never quite reaching the emotional intensity of either album.

Guitarist Nate Dominy claimed in a recent interview that with their newest album the band wanted to translate their powerful live show into a tighter record that more accurately represents Gifts from Enola, and to achieve this goal they wrote the five songs in a live environment rather than a studio. As a result, the record clocks in at 37 minutes, marking the band’s shortest album to date by 12 minutes. Along with a new polished sound thanks to the mixing talents of Moving Mountains’ Greg Dunn, the band seemed to have all the ingredients for a solid follow-up. Despite these elements, however, the songs tend to recycle riffs and ideas too frequently for such a short record, creating a listening experience that is at times a bit boring.

The album kicks off with a promisingly driving intro in the first few minutes of “Lionized,” inviting the listener into the new slick sound with ease. Even by the halfway point of the opener, however, it is clear that the band had a difficult time topping either opening track from their previous albums and instead went with a more subtle approach, and subtlety isn’t exactly their forte. The track ends with a somewhat oddly placed old-time jazz sample, which segues into the equally promising yet eventually dull “Dime and Suture.” The band’s signature “here and there” vocal style returns on this album, and the muted indiscernible lyrics neither add nor detract from the song. Once again, the song fizzles out into a mandatory transition to the fairly dry “Alagoas.” After four minutes of traditional post-rock fare that we have all heard before, the song picks up and offers one of the best sequences on the album as it builds to a satisfying conclusion worthy of the band’s potential for greatness. “Grime and Glass” throws in some nontraditional rhythms and robotic riffs before it wanders into a forgettable accompaniment to yet another indistinct rant.

In true Gifts from Enola fashion, it would make sense that the closing track would redeem any missteps throughout the rest of the album, but “Rearview” only provides a temporary pleasure before the song ends in a massive teaser suggesting the heavy, straightforward and epic closing track that never comes. As a result, the album sounds like it ends before it ever truly begins.

With From Fathoms, Gifts from Enola created a record that flowed effortlessly from one heavy-hitting track to the next and a record that, most importantly, gave us a reason to listen. While this latest album is far from an unpleasant listening experience, it shows a band at its most uninspired creating simply mediocre music, and with the potential for genre-bending originality that Gifts from Enola have proven in the past, mediocre doesn’t quite cut it. - Jeff VanVickle

Yeeeeeees, this is the definition of "ULTIMATE". For its creation has been foretold for eons. Our parents were told of it by their parents and so on... And now, it cometh. Prepare yourself, this package will arrive in all its definitive glory and bring you to your knees... weeping... The vinyl version of the new Gifts From Enola album is available on opaque baby blue vinyl (limited to 100 - SOLD OUT) or opaque orange vinyl (limited to 300). The jackets will be on thick 20pt/350gsm stock with a die-cut hole in the center. The inner sleeve will be printed in full color and include artwork that shows through the die-cut hole on the outer jacket. Then the clear protective polybags will have the bands name printed directly on them across the center. Sound awesome? Yes it does. Why? Because it is!!! The CD version of the new, self-titled behemoth by Gifts From Enola. Comes in a 4 panel digipak printed on thick, recycled stock with awesome, screenprinted disc faces. All artwork, design, and layout was done by Three Bears Design (they handled From Fathoms as well), and the new shirt was designed for the preorder by Three Bears Design. Incorporates the album artwork and is printed on Alternative Apparel brand shirts. Just look at it for a second.... yeah, it's freakin awesome - you neeeeed it!!

Gifts From Enola have created an album that finally and perfectly captures the intensity of their live show and expands upon all of their past ideas ten-fold. Or maybe they've simply taken past ideas to their logical extremes, destroyed them, and birthed brand new ideas from their ashes. Either way, the band continues to evolve at an astonishing rate and further pushes their sonic spectrum into an unclassifiable area that is all at once hard to explain, but impossibly easy to listen to. And we don't mean that in the "easy-listening" genre of music sense either. If anything, the band has become more technical and heavier than even the heaviest parts of "From Fathoms" (their critically acclaimed 2009 release), not in a "breakdown-and-beat-you-over-the-head" sort of way, but more in the album's overall sound.

With more attention to dynamics than ever before, and a recording that truly demonstrates a band approaching a creative zenith, the new Gifts From Enola album is a lock to defy expectations and raise the creative bar yet again. Easily staying ahead of the pack by pushing themselves to color outside any preset guidelines laid down before them, the band has never intentionally shunned convention - but simply write music with their collective heart on their sleeve.

The album was mixed and mastered by Moving Mountains guitarist/vocalist Gregory Dunn with artwork handled by Three Bears Design (mewithoutYou, Caspian, Reliant K). This marks the bands third full length release, following up "Loyal Eyes Betrayed The Mind" (2006, The Mylene Sheath) and "From Fathoms" (2009, The Mylene Sheath), as well as a split CD with Seattle, WA's You.May.Die.In.The.Desert (2008, Differential). Gifts From Enola is a band through flirting with their potential, as this album proves, this is band that has fearlessly reached the next level. - Music id Amazing

Gifts From Enola - Gifts From Enola
Release date: July 13, 2010 (The Mylene Sheath)

On their new self-titled album, Harrisonburg, Va. quintet Gifts From Enola sound like a band that's ready to step out of the shadow of their post-pock forebears and cement a legacy of their own. Gifts From Enola is one of those rare bands that manages to somehow sound familiar, yet unlike anything you've heard before. Comparisons to the usual post-rock suspects like Pelican and Isis certainly aren't unwarranted, but repeated listens to GFE's third album reveal that the band's influences stretch well beyond the last five years or so of Hydra Head releases.

The first two songs, "Lionize" and "Dime and Suture," are fairly standard post-rock fare, which should by no means be taken as a slight. Post-rock certainly has its "Pitchfork flavor of the week" qualities, but few bands do it as well as Gifts From Enola. The third song, however, is when things start to get interesting. "Alagoas" is clearly rooted in the Pink Floyd school of prog rock, with its clean guitar tones and sweeping scope. The fourth song, "Grime and Glass," plays like a tribute to the late '80s/early '90s output of criminally underrated prog metal veterans Voivod (no small fans of Pink Floyd themselves, it's worth noting). The album wraps up with the aptly-titled "Rearview," indicating that GFE is a band that isn't afraid to look to the past while continuing to move forward.

Each song is its own journey, with all falling into the six- to eight-plus-minute range, but at just five songs over the course of 37 minutes, the album never feels bloated or ponderous. The songs ebb and flow, transitioning into one another so smoothly that you often don't know quite when one ends and another begins without looking at your stereo. To call Gifts From Enola an instrumental band would be an inaccuracy, but they certainly don't employ vocals in the traditional verse/chorus/verse sense. GFE treat vocals as just another instrument, sometimes drowning them in the mix to the point that they're audible but not quite intelligible. Other times, samples and spoken word take the place of traditional singing.

Overall, Gifts From Enola is an album that can impress as much with its beauty and simplicity as with its occasional moments of majesty and bombast. With their second bona fide "album of the year" candidate in as many tries (2009's From Fathoms finished fourth on my year-end list), Gifts From Enola is a band that shouldn't (and most likely won't be) ignored for much longer. - MIKE R. MEYER

Stream Gifts From Enola's new self-titled album here!

Formidable and entrancing. Gifts From Enola didn’t simply type their formula into the Almighty Post-Rock Calculator. They took brooding atmospheres and injected them with ghastly screams, driving beats and more than enough enigmatic head-scratching. - Absolutepunk

Gifts From Enola have created an album that finally and perfectly captures the intensity of their live show and expands upon all of their past ideas ten-fold. Or maybe they've simply taken past ideas to their logical extremes, destroyed them, and birthed brand new ideas from their ashes. Either way, the band continues to evolve at an astonishing rate and further pushes their sonic spectrum into an unclassifiable area that is all at once hard to explain, but impossibly easy to listen to. And we don't mean that in the "easy-listening" genre of music sense either. If anything, the band has become more technical and heavier than even the heaviest parts of "From Fathoms" (their critically acclaimed 2009 release), not in a "breakdown-and-beat-you-over-the-head" sort of way, but more in the album's overall sound.

With more attention to dynamics than ever before, and a recording that truly demonstrates a band approaching a creative zenith, the new Gifts From Enola album is a lock to defy expectations and raise the creative bar yet again. Easily staying ahead of the pack by pushing themselves to color outside any preset guidelines laid down before them, the band has never intentionally shunned convention - but simply write music with their collective heart on their sleeve.

* The upcoming self titled Gifts From Enola album was mixed and mastered by Moving Mountains guitarist/vocalist Gregory Dunn with artwork handled by Three Bears Design (mewithoutYou, Caspian, Reliant K). This marks the bands third full length release, following up "Loyal Eyes Betrayed The Mind" (2006, The Mylene Sheath) and "From Fathoms" (2009, The Mylene Sheath), as well as a split CD with Seattle, WA's You.May.Die.In.The.Desert (2008, Differential). Gifts From Enola is a band through flirting with their potential, as this album proves, this is band that has fearlessly reached the next level. - Jack S

Once your music tastes begins to expand into genres previously unbroken, it seems like a wave of bands reveal themselves to you. Inevitably, you'll start with the heavyweights and whatever is flavour of the month, in the case of post-rock that'd be the likes of Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed and This Will Destroy You (the ultimate fan boy band). Then, months and months and months later, you begin to scratch away at the pile of acts that occupy the second and third tiers of the genre, which, as the genre becomes more and more popular, are surely only going to become more populated. Gifts From Enola have always seemed like a second tier act; not through lack of talent, but through lack of buzz - their name pops up every now and then but, despite nearly five years on the circuit, they are yet to really explode.

I'm not sure if that will all change with this, the band's third full-length, either. In theory, it probably should. Throughout all five songs there is a style of post-rock that fans of This Will Destroy You and And So I Watch You From Afar alike should welcome, as their sound is a segue between the two acts. The 7 minute-plus compositions, the oh so popular walls of sound - both of these are attributed to the former; the sudden time signature shits, the guitar-driven nature that's so pumped up at times it's considered a viable substitute for steroids - these are attributed to the latter. Eight-minute opener "Lionized" combines the build up play of the aforementioned bands, the daunting periods of quiet similar to pg.lost, with the post-metal crescendo of If These Trees Could Talk. "Alagoas" runs a course similar to TWDY on "Young Mountain", and then ending up in 65daysofstatic-esque riffing. Probably the most impressive facet of "Gifts From Enola" is the guitar-work. Often changing from standard atmospheric ambience, to post-metal inspired crunches or riffs that are quite simply frenzied. For the most part he barely sounds in place in a post-rock band, but you get the feeling that's what Gifts From Enola are striving for.

It should all work, but it doesn't always. The changes in direction are sometimes too sudden and often, seeming like they are searching for their rhythm rather than letting it find them; it sometimes seems that perhaps they are trying too hard to combine different elements that don't usually go hand-in-hand. However, through this they also craft the odd song that borderlines brilliance. When they get it right they draw you in and don't let go, but there are others that blast right past without reaching that all-important "wow" moment. A highly challenging listen to say the least. [7½] - DJ

US Post-Metal/Post-Rock act Gifts From Enola are streaming their self-titled new album online. You can check it out at this location.

The accompanying press release says: "Gifts From Enola have created an album that finally and perfectly captures the intensity of their live show and expands upon all of their past ideas ten-fold. Or maybe they've simply taken past ideas to their logical extremes, destroyed them, and birthed brand new ideas from their ashes. Either way, the band continues to evolve at an astonishing rate and further pushes their sonic spectrum into an unclassifiable area that is all at once hard to explain, but impossibly easy to listen to. And we don't mean that in the "easy-listening" genre of music sense either. If anything, the band has become more technical and heavier than even the heaviest parts of From Fathoms (their critically acclaimed 2009 release), not in a "breakdown-and-beat-you-over-the-head" sort of way, but more in the album's overall sound.

With more attention to dynamics than ever before, and a recording that truly demonstrates a band approaching a creative zenith, the new Gifts From Enola album is a lock to defy expectations and raise the creative bar yet again. Easily staying ahead of the pack by pushing themselves to color outside any preset guidelines laid down before them, the band has never intentionally shunned convention - but simply write music with their collective heart on their sleeve.

The album was mixed and mastered by Moving Mountains guitarist/vocalist Gregory Dunn with artwork handled by Three Bears Design. This marks the bands third full length release, following up Loyal Eyes Betrayed The Mind (2006, The Mylene Sheath) and From Fathoms (2009, The Mylene Sheath), as well as a split CD with Seattle, WA's You.May.Die.In.The.Desert (2008, Differential). Gifts From Enola is a band through flirting with their potential, as this album proves, this is band that has fearlessly reached the next level."

Here's the link to the stream again.


Gifts From Enola [cover art] tracklist:

01. Lionized
02. Dime And Suture
03. Alagoas
04. Grime And Glass
05. Rearview


Source: archive.constantcontact.com - Metal Storm

Most bands that try for an epic feel usually shoot themselves in the foot by imaging that to be epic means to self-consciously try and be grander than they are capable. That usually ends in pretention, and limp pomposity. Not so with Gifts From Enola, who make epic music the old fashioned way: by kicking out the jams and letting the power come naturally. "From Fathoms" is a brisk eight song set filled with interwoven guitars, swirling runs that reek of emotional euphoria. This is a record that wins you over with what must have been the sheer joy of the band's making of it.
The slow build-up of songs like "Resurface" and "Weightless Thought" share structural space with the more careening "Melted Wings" and "Thawed Horizon," where the band blends the shoe-gazing overload of The Church with the pounding bottom end of Live. But the band only takes its cues from many influences, it is obvious that they learned quiet a few exciting things about band and life that they want to share the wealth.
"From Fathoms" is a sweaty but comforting slab of majestic rock that stays majestic. This is a record full of peaks and very few missteps, filled with urgent atmospherics and a huge heart. - Mike Wood

Mylene Shealth’s long-song atmospheric rockers GIFTS FROM ENOLA have their upcoming full-length streaming here. The self-titled release is the third long player from the band and was mixed and mastered by Gregory Dunn of the similarly-minded MOVING MOUNTAINS. The recording hits stores on July 13th. - Jordan

You guys really seem to dig East of the Wall whenever we post about them which makes me very happy, because that band is awesome. Ressentiment is quickly working its way up my list of favorite albums released so far in 2010.

So with that band in mind, I present to you two other fantastic bands cut from the same cloth that I’ve been meaning to write about for some time:

Gifts From Enola: Atmospheric guitar soundscapes ala Moving Mountains, Constants, Junius or even Jupiter-era Cave In atop a thundering platform of fuzzed-out bass and driving drums. These Harrisonburg, VA gents play dense, complex music that’s surprisingly easy to listen to… just sit back and let the beauteous sounds wash over you. Their self-titled debut is out now.
Nero Order: More on the weird/dissonant tip than Gifts From Enola, but definitely channeling some of the same influences for a slightly darker, doomier sound that’s just as much fun to listen to. Whereas the former’s soundscapes wash over you, Nero Order’s atmospherics pull you into the riptide and sweep you away.
-VN - Vince Neilstein

4. Gifts from Enola - From Fathoms

With strong releases from the likes of Isis, Pelican, Baroness, Caspian and A Storm of Light (not to mention my soon-to-be-revealed Album of the Year), 2009 might go down as the year of "smart metal." And it doesn't get much smarter than Gifts from Enola. The mostly instrumental, Virginia-based band hasn't even gotten big enough to warrant their own Wikipedia entry yet, but that hasn't kept them from thinking big. Soaring, majestic riffs give way to acoustic interludes; atmospheric keyboard passages and cascading guitar solos intertwine over complex time signatures; yet none of it feels forced or overwrought. This is post-metal without pretense, and it's fucking amazing. - Mike Meyer

see link - Tattoo Magazine