Beyond My Eyes is the solo project of musical mastermind Mr. Erick Green. Now 39, Erick was born in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Columbia but spent much of his early life traveling all around this South American country. During his adolescence, he settled in Barranquilla, learning Cumbia (a dance-oriented genre of popular music throughout Latin America), Vallenato (a popular folk music of the Caribbean region of Columbia literally meaning “born in the valley”), Salsa, Rock and Metal. Starting off as a percussionist, Green remembers “banging on anything that could make a sound or [he] could beat with [his] hands and feet” before being given a guitar to noodle around with. With a big appetite for radio friendly Metal bands like Def Leppard, The Scorpions and Poison, Erick found his motivation to properly play the guitar from none other than Metallica. Being self-taught strictly by ear, he had to buckle down to nail the technique required to play these beloved tracks and eventually earning him the title “El Metallica” among friends. As his skill set expanded, so did his desire to play live, resulting in a band called Espina with friends Oscar and Johnny as well as another, collaborative local project called Risk.
Everything changed in October of 1999, when Green made a six month trek on foot to the United States, eventually landing in Dallas, TX, where his closest family resided. Spending much of the time practicing drums, guitar and many other instruments, he landed a gig with Maryland based TAOD (The Art of Deception) playing guitar and singing. Viewed as a fun stepping stone, he left the band to pursue drums in Denton, TX’s Coilback who went on to release one, self-titled EP and a full length CD called Love is Dead. Not satisfied with the pace and direction of the band, Erick left to join the Deathcore, Dallas based Inbryo where he expanded his ever growing knowledge base to include booking, management, merchandise and website/marketing design, which he was also studying. After a time, Inbryo released their debut called Frustration in 2014 that sold around 2700 copies and allowed them to tour the east coast with notable bands like Killswitch Engage, Hellyeah, Otep, Bloodsimple, Suicide Silence and many other major touring acts. Soon thereafter, due to conflicting personal and band priorities, Erick left Inbryo to focus on family, work and school. Once the dust settled in his life, Green decided to self produce his own project. With the desire to keep all of his multi-instrumental influences intact, he began writing music and slowly buying all of the recording studio equipment he could afford to keep everything in house and solely his. Thrust into the void once again, Erick taught himself the art of pre-production, mixing and mastering to produce his killer debut album entitled One Way to the Future.
With influences ranging from Machinehead, Soilwork, Fear Factory, Soulfly and many others, one would have a preconceived notion of what to expect from this one man band, but similarities lay on the periphery of his overall sound. The influences are certainly there, but with a raw, emotional touch that shines brightly through at every turn. For example, the opening track, “Limitless”, definitely has touches of Fear Factory but is a heart felt song written shortly after Erick’s sister was diagnosed with cancer. Yes, this song is very strong and very fast, but back up half a step and listen carefully to the lyrics along with the keyboard backed, ethereal chorus and be moved to tears. This opener is what music should always be about: an artist’s release of strong emotion that drives the listener to the same place, and Green does this magnificently right out of the gate. Changing gears, “Relentless One” takes a never give up theme, adds djent-ish guitar riffs, keyboard harmonies and heavily accented, throaty vocals reminiscent of Max Cavelera with subtle queues of dance rhythms to create a determined yet positive vibe that sits in stark contrast to the previous song. A cagey technique that provides great flow from song to song. “Above the Surface” is probably my favorite song on One Way to the Future. Being overtly patriotic, this track explodes after a short, electronic intro. Growly guitar work paired with the heavy use of huge cymbal crashes create a subtly anthemic feel while remaining extremely intense throughout. I only wish that more appreciated this country and the price paid for the freedoms we enjoy as Green so eloquently states it in this incredible song. Much love for this one, Brother! “Biological Welfare” takes this theme one step further into the future. With furious double bass scattered about this track, Erick flexes his percussive might while cleaning up his lofty vocals just a bit and adding the slight dissonance of electronics to intensify the slower tempo of the verses. Very creative and drives his point home with laser precision. The Caribbean background raises its head and adds an unusual flair to “Final Peace”. Sharper guitar tones along with clean vocals make for a tentatively sad vibe. A crushing chorus accompanied by percussive electronics push the song from introspectively sad to almost desperate by song’s end. Really cool build to a climax that is never quite reached. Again, transitioning away from intense sadness, “Forced Fed Faith” takes on the guise of sarcastic anger. Interesting vocal pacing in the verses and soaring chorus harmonies that flash back to the Fear Factory influence are what make this song memorable. Serving as the other bookend to “Limitless”, “Silent Frequency” was written shortly after the passing of Erick’s sister. Being almost voyeuristic in its emotional intensity, this track is extremely fast and aggressive, which perfectly fits the theme of unfair loss, hurt and rage often felt all at the same time during the most trying of times. Musically and sentimentally, this thing is just raw and sits just outside of complete chaos. If not for the patriotic tune noted above, this moving song would easily be my favorite. Really beautiful. Moving on, just as in life, the remainder of One Way to the Future is positive and deceptively heart felt being such a purely Metal album. Sung mostly in Spanish, “Melodias de amor” may just be the coolest love song ever written. Almost as a slower serenade during verses the chorus is grinding, heavy and blasted. As the two styles meld into a single thought near song’s end, so is English intermingled with Spanish. Very, very unusual but works astoundingly well. Continuing in Spanish, “Nuevo Sol” begins with soft, acoustic guitar that devolves into a much heavier sound, albeit with the same determined and hopeful feel, much like the “New Sun” theme. Having understated tribal tones and rhythms again reflect Green’s Caribbean upbringing. The title track of One Way to the Future ends Beyond My Eyes debut. With a very open sound throughout, an acoustic intro is followed by a steadily driven build up wrapped around the love of a child and the joy of parenting. A solid, fuzzily sharp guitar solo and overall heavy tone slyly mask such an incredibly sweet song. This song sits on the opposite end of the spectrum of the anguish felt by “Limitless” and “Silent Frequency”. Such is life with invariable soul-crushing downs, contrasted by unimaginable highs. A pragmatic and hopeful way to finish things out.
Obviously talented and well steeped in an astounding number of instruments and styles, Erick Green’s one man project Beyond My Eyes has legs for years once the music catches on. Wonderful, relate-able themes like what is dealt with so personally on this debut are what make One Way to the Future so special and worthy of listening to over and over. It pulls the heart string remarkably well while providing a sonic drive as heavy as they come; a trademark that defines the man and his music. Really stellar release.
Beyond My Eyes
Tracklist for One Way to the Future:
“Limitless”
“Relentless One”
“Above the Surface”
“Biological Warfare”
“Final Peace”
“Forced Fed Faith”
“Silent Frequency”
“Melodias de amor”
“Nuevo Sol”
“One Way to the Future”
All music by: Erick Green
All Lyrics by: Erick Green
Produced by: Erick Green
Pre-production: Erick Green
Sampling/Drum Programing: Erick Green
Mixed & Edited by: Erick Green
Mixed by: Scott Rubealcaba from The Game Room Productions
Mastered by: Erick Green
Album Art Layout by: Erick Green
CD Art photography by: Carla Green (wife)
Promo Picture by: Ivan Palacios
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