Were there a United Nations of Punk, the trilateral union of nationalities in Cross Stitched Eyes would make an excellent security council. Not only do they collaborate across American, German, and English boundaries, but they would probably scare rogue nations into submission.
Rightly compared to Amebix, Rudimentary Peni, and
Killing Joke, Cross Stitched Eyes, formed in 2005, breathe
new life into the anarcho-crust genre. Drummer and vo-
calist Jason Willer played in Lookout Records' Enemies
(with Dave Ed of Neurosis), The UK Subs, and Drain
the Sky; guitarist Tim Crow was in Sworn Liars, Zygote,
Bad Influence, and Smart Pils; and guitarist Chris Hutto
played in Black Mass. Rounding out the rhythmic pedigree
is bassist Mr. Stevie of Tourette Syndrome and Anger of
Bacteria, plus Subhumans (UK) drummer Trotsky.
All this name-dropping and reference-checking only
matters insofar as the music kicks ass with a steel-toed
boot.
After releasing a 7-inch on Ruin Nation and an album on Active, Cross Stitched Eyes pack fourteen short
but perfectly compact songs together for their Alternative
Tentacles debut. Unafraid to let loose with noise damage
on "Substance" or get melodic with "Breath of Lies," the
band shows a diversity of styles on Coranach. Dirgey and
doom-y elements abound and the sound quality surpasses
the muddy fidelity of the band's predecessors.
This LP comes with a CD so you can have your vinyl AND your digital! Brand New!
"Coranach is one of the best records Alternative Tentacles has released in the last 5 years!" - Maximumrocknroll
"This is why Alternative Tentacles is such a legendary label: Cross Stitched Eyes is a classic agro-punk band that harkens back to a simpler, angrier time. Guitarists Tim Crow and Kris Hutto would make East Bay Ray proud on songs "Cross" and "Eyes", while a Killing Joke influence shines through on "Rot" and "Suffer." The fast, incredible tense "Face" and "Substance" are tightly coiled ferocity that teeters on the edge of chaos. Even when the band locks into a great groove, such as "Stitched", the band still sounds as if they could explode into chaos at any moment. Each of the fourteen efforts are short, terse, passionate pieces that inject new life into a style that has been sadly ignored for too long. Every second of this disc is perfectly played and there is not a wasted note. Find this immediately." - Jersey Beat