Review by Brian on March 5, 2016.

Over the last decade the number of original and memorable releases has definitely decreased. In an industry filled with cookie cutter bands being promoted, if you like that, then you'll like this. But, still sometimes there comes a band who doesn't follow conventional genre stereotypes, a band that doesn't so easily draw comparisons, sometimes there's a band...

...that band is San Francisco's Howls of Ebb. This being my first experience with the band, I won't be able to tell of progress or decline from their debut Vigils of the 3rd Eye. What I can inform you about is the genius that is Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows. The first thing that stands out is the guitar tone. They use a cleaner distortion. This is the first thing that separates them from their black and death metal peers. The bass compliments the guitars so well while each instrument gets equal representation in the mix. The sound is basement-esque. I believe this is intentional and gives it this decrepit feel.

The opener "The 6th Octopul'th Grin" blazes out of the gate deploying dissonant chords, thundering bass and rapid fire drumming. The vocals fall somewhere between death metal growls and black metal shrieks. In fact the overall sound is somewhere between the two genres.This is weird stuff. As I stated before, it is really hard to draw comparisons. Think somewhere in the realm of Hail Spirit Noir, with touches of Portal. However,that doesn't really do it justice.

Howls of Ebb, also know as HoB, capture and maintain your attention throughout the albums 7 tracks with dissonant assaults, amazing tempo changes, primitive barbaric drumming and tortured vocals. This all combines to give the listener a unique experience. This is more closely related to weirdo Norwegian progressive metal than anything in the black and death metal genres, but it is black/death metal. I love how strange it all is. If I had one complaint, it would be that some of the songs are arranged haphazardly. That being said, Cursus Impasse is a wonder piece of super-weird phantasmagoric black/death metal and Howls of Ebb are step ahead of their peers.

Review by Allan on October 15, 2003.

By the time I absorbed the opening song 'Maybe The Earth Is Flat,' all of my worries were put to rest. Eulogy Record's On Broken Wings, a six piece metalcore outfit from Boston, didn't introduce themselves with harmonized leads or half-assed screaming. Instead, they focused in on making the ground shake as they unleashed a heavy, bludgeoning sound. "Some Of Us May Never See The World" is their debut album, and already things seem very promising for these guys.

These days the melody infested hardcore scene is far too overcrowded for its own good, and even that is an understatement. On Broken Wings don't exactly fit into that roster, which of course makes me happy. Instead, they revert to keeping things down to their bare bones. Other than a subtle touch of synths and samples, to hell with all of the amiable melodies, the trappings of emo, and the pseudo emotionally charged clean sections and bright choruses... well, for the most part. What is all of that anyway? I'll tell you: it's a vein attempt at appeasing the legions of hardcore fans, and a good way to make yourself transparent and wear your influences on your sleeves.

Now, are On Broken Wings wholly original? No. But hey, at least their music has heart and soul. At least it's interesting and keeps your attention focused on the music instead of letting you drift off into other activities. Their sound is mammoth, and the death metal influence only drives the fierce rhythms and fiery vocals further into intensity. The thick, semi-warm production doesn't hurt either. The musicianship is also on the right track: tight, well played, and at times creative.

On Broken Wings provide a good listen that can be staggering and downright awesome at times. "Some Of Us May Never See The World" easily earns multiple listens and is easy to derive quite a bit of listening pleasure out of. It's not groundbreaking, and not what I would call earth shattering, but it is one of the better metalcore releases of 2003.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10