Choirs Of The Eye

The description “avant garde metal band” made me cringe and I was not looking forward to this listen. But when I put it on in the car it surprised me with how beautiful it was. As I was going through the car wash the crazy metal ending of The Manifold Curiosity created quite the atmosphere! I love this album!

As one reviewer aptly put it in this section, post-2000 metal, postmetal and avant-metal are among the music genres done dirty in the 1001 Albums book (along with post-rock and several jazz classics -- other styles also explored by Kayo Dot in *Choirs Of The Eye*, incidentally). So I get why someone would want to place this particular avant-garde metal album in the list, just to set the karmic balance right in one swift stroke. Some of the tones (often owing more to postrock than to metal genres, to be honest), build-ups (gosh, that insane climax leading to black metal mayhem at the end of the third track!), and harmonies, whether darkly pretty -- the Lynchian and melancholic double-bass and piano-laden conclusion of "The Antique" -- or downright atonal, are impressive for sure, and you just can't deny the creativity and very open mindset that went into the writing and recording of this album. That said, and as the same reviewer also stated in here, it's admittedly a little weird to name this record first when so many other acts in adjacent subgenres have been ignored in Dimery's book. See that other reviewer's list when it comes to postmetal (to which I would add Converge, early Cult Of Luna, Neurosis, Gojira or Birds In Row). Same with post-rock, actually : no Mogwai or Godspeed You! Black Emperor's in the 1001 Albums book - if I had had more than one record to add in the users list, you would all have to review "Lift Your Skinny Fists...", along with the Canadian band's debut album that a user with good taste already placed there. So yeah... *Why* Kayo Dot first? Beyond that "contextual" perspective, I will add that I can also understand why some nonplussed listeners would perceive this LP as indulging a little too much in "noodling" instead of tighter compositional work. In some ways, *Choirs Of The Eye* sounds a little unfocused at times (especially for the sung vocal parts). I don't know... Maybe it's a little ironic that the spirit of The Grateful Dead can find its way in a 21st century metal band. I'm pretty sure that fan John Zorn would lambast me for such a caricatural take, though. What do I know, after all? I'm just a music fan with very subjective tastes among millions of others... 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 0 for now Albums from the users list I *might* include in mine later on: 2 for now (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't include in mine: 1

This was more complex than I would have thought. Very interesting to listen to. The metal parts are quite heavy too. Cool album

+50 points right off the bat for the gall to submit an avant-garde metal album. Never heard of this, but I'm super intrigued. Wow, incredible. An insane blend of metal, post-rock, jazz and a whole bunch of other stuff that the album cycles between before any of them can get stale. Probably a really unusual comparison to make, but the band that this reminded the most of would be Talk Talk. Spirit of Eden/Laughing Stock, Metal edition? I hope everybody gives this the fair shot it deserves and doesn't immediately get scared away by the Wikipedia tags or song lengths, since it's not even all that inaccessible all things considered. Fantastic pick, 5/5.

I wasn't at all sure what to expect but I certainly didn't expect something from 2003, the nadir of music, to be this good. John Zorn, behind one of the worst-rated albums on the original list, is credited on this, and I can see why some folk might find his stuff objectionable, I really enjoyed Spy vs Spy so I was more than prepared to find out what was going on with this. It's a delight! One of the main problems I have with metal is that it so often outstays it's welcome. This album is brilliantly designed to limit your exposure to it, so it actually has an impact without rapidly descending into the fatigue that so plagues the genre. This is jazzy, ambient - in parts contemplative, in others outrageous. I liked it a lot, thanks for the recommendation!

My first thought reading the Wiki page on this was "uh oh, John Zorn has a record label". A little too avant for me probably, with the periodic urge to declare "this is just noise". I'm willing to entertain the argument that I'm just not ready for it. And it brought me around somewhat by the end and if nothing else it wasn't dull and felt like a cohesive whole despite the dramatic shifts in tone.

Seems avant garde metal is my thing. Who knew?

I’d been led to believe this was a band in the vein of Sunn and other heavier outfits, so the longer, calmer ambient passages took me by surprise. I was a bit disappointed at first, but as the LP went on I settled into its groove of atmospheric contemplation punctuated by aggressive bursts of noise. Not sure I’d return to any specific track, but the artistic experience was novel and executed well

By all metrics, Kayo Dot should appeal to me. I like heavy music, avant garde music, progressive music, long songs, loud/quiet dynamics... but it just doesn't. I've listened to this album before (several times) along with other Toby Driver projects. I check in every few years, and it still doesn't connect with me. That being said, it probably is a good choice for this list. There is a serious lack of any sort of metal inclusions in the wake of nu-metal, and this is one of the more critically acclaimed releases to come out in the last 25 years. It doesn't quite hit the level of prestige or crossover appeal that Mastodon, Agalloch, Isis, Deafheaven, Liturgy, Wolves in the Throne Room, Behemoth, Imperial Triumphant, or Blood Incantation have reached, but it's still in the pantheon of post-millennium metal.

My own submission! Does this mean I’m at the end of the user generated list? I could go on about everything that I revere in the music but, well, you can listen to it yourself. Since this album has already recieved many ratings and reviews, I will take this opportunity to elaborate on why I have chosen this niche and unaccomodating work for a userbase which has rated ”Rumours” as one of the top 10 albums out of the 1000+ possibilities. I admit that this was an indulgent pick, so I salute all of those who gave the whole thing a fair shot, and to all those who gave it a ”did-not-listen”: Sorry for scaring you off. A few users questioned picking this album where other, more established classics in it’s field are missing. Certainly, Neurosis’ ”Through Silver In Blood” or Isis’ ”Panopticon” are more beloved ”post-metal” records from about the same time. Even in the small world of Kayo Dot, the predecessor Maudlin of the Well’s ”Bath” has amassed a much larger cult following over the years. So why wouldn’t I choose something more appropriate given the context? The answer is that I, simply, think that this album is much better than the other choices, and that I want this record to be seen in the same light. I’ve certainly listened to enough forgotten rock and indie submissions to not feel any guilt about my own selfish choice! Now that the Tzadik catalogue is available on streaming services, it’s as good a time as any to turn people onto Choirs Of The Eye, having only been available on CD and limited vinyl before. Kayo Dot — and the other works of lead creative force Toby Driver — are unfortunately mismatched with the current trends of music consumption. Besides being decidedly uncommercial, there are two elements that enables the music to fully reveal itself: One is repeated listens, and the other is giving the music full attention. If I had not lended this album those courtesies, I most likely would not have become the superfan I am now. So, being the nature of this site, I don’t assume that everyone who listens will have time to ”get” it before giving a rating (although there have been suprisingly many high ratings already!). However, just having had this many new people listen to this album is a success on it’s own. If even one listener sees the bottomless beauty in it that I do, I am more than satisfied in having chosen this as my album that you must hear before you die.

Somehow this managed to beat the stigma placed on it by being avant- garde metal with jazz and noise rock inspos by being actually good and interesting to listen to. It had melodies and actual sounds beyond grating screams. Also, it probably helped that I listened to this while reading through all of trumps new executive orders because it fit the vibe pretty well.

This was really interesting. Far more more musically diverse than I expected it to be, with well-placed uses of atonality and quiet. Intense at times, but nothing too overbearing. Fave Songs: Marathon, A Pitcher of Summer, The Manifold Curiosity

Well I was apprehensive about avant garde metal but this was a great listen.

Pretty solid album, probably deserves to be in the main list. It bridges the gap between "metal" and "avant garde metal" traversing the nuances of the two. It's subtle, but powerful and full. Quite enjoyed it. Wayfarer was great!

Yes! YES! I've been lucky enough to see them live and it was awesome. You probably need to be in the right state of mind to be receptive to this - it's a special occasion listen, rather than an every day listen, for me, but when it hits the spot... <Antonio_Banderas_leans_away_from_laptop.gif> Fave tracks - doesn't make sense to talk about separate tracks with this one. Really dig the clarinet(?) bit from "The Manifold Curiosity" and the strings bit from "Wayfarer", but I will generally plump for taking the whole album in one go!

Wow this is so great, such an epic record. Unfortunately not available on Spotify for me but keen to discover more.

Heavy yet subtle

55 minutes of metal, post-rock, jazz and noise madness. The usage of horns and strings distinguishes them from other bands in this area of music. A large contrast exists between the subtle parts and the all out destructive parts of the songs.

I enjoyed this album! I'm starting my work day listening again & all the screaming, misery & angst on Marathon is encapsulating how black my job makes me feel inside. Hate this place but love the album

prog-metal, but even more complex than you might imagine. This is a good thing though!

Normally, I give metal albums 1 star. However, this album was either not metal or very good metal. Either way, it was a great album.

Constantly interesting to listen to, at points deeply beautiful, and the more aggressive passages felt like a coherent part of the experience; they were "earned", if you will. Totally new to me, I'm glad I've heard it.

Really enjoyed this, such a diverse metal album spanning different styles and then jumping back to heavy parts. Great choice.

Both my 8 year old daughter and I agree that this is cool and weird, so there's really not much else to debate here. I really love how many different directions the metal genre can go in and still feel like metal. This feels like it's out on the far fringes of the genre, reaching out into other lands, but it's still metal, and it's really good 4/5

This grew on me through, at first I wasn't really in the mood but after the first two tracks I was with it. Really good stuff.

This surprised me! I really liked it. Such a mix of things going on but all worked really well together. Elements of Mogwai, Godspeed!, even Black Country new road. Even the heavier almost metal type bits worked as they built up to it. Enjoyed the ambient sections too. Would listen again

Studying music composition in college, Toby Driver took what he learned and applied it with a metal style in mind. Kayo Dot, forming out of the dissolution of Driver's previous band, took chamber orchestration and fused it with stretches of atmospheric metal. The result is a thing of beauty, ascending beyond what is simply "metal" or even "rock" music, in a similar nature to Godspeed You! Black Emperor. With such a distinct dynamic range and forward-thinking approach to composing music, it seems like Kayo Dot is in a league of their own. That's not to say they're without criticism, as the 5 songs occasionally drag on a bit in their runtime, but I certainly enjoyed seeing how each movement progressed. Ascended music. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Perhaps, if the list was willing to dip into more avant-garde metal. Otherwise, probably not a good fit.

John Zorn meets Opeth meets Neurosis meets Jeff Buckley meets Pink Floyd meets Grindcore meets Jazz

Some of the wailing is a little too much, as is some of the moaning (even for a Thom Yorke fan), but there's a lot to like from Kayo Dot. Better than I was fearing from"avante-garde metal."

avant metal is an interesting genre I would say I enjoyed this, but didn’t LOVE it not really a fan of metal but I love experimental music, so kinda a mixed bag but I mostly liked it - 7/10

I really have mixed feelings about this one. Some of it I found really interesting and liked, but the screaming/hardcore parts I can't stand. 3 stars.

It's definitely interesting and a creative blend, but I really didn't like listening to it.

Nicely done, even if I wasn't, and couldn't ever imagine being, in the mood for it.

Rating: 6/10

I wasn't much expecting to enjoy this jazz infused avante garde metal album, but it's a really cool piece of vibe. Mostly chilled with nice crunch in places. Rating: 3.5 Playlist track: Marathon Date listened: 08/05/25

The metal parts were a bit too much for me. But there were quite some beautifully arranged more melodic parts in this as well.

Nice. I'm only a casual Kayo Dot fan, but this is one of the better albums I've heard by them.

Crushingly heavy jazz-inspired metal, with some surprisingly beautiful moments as well. The song structures lurched about quite wildly and while the heavier bits made an incredible impact they didn’t always blend into those softer moments too well. I certainly enjoyed this in places but it was a quite volatile listening experience

This album solved my problem with so many metal albums: the vocals! Here it was more instruments than vocals and it's immediately better. Now saying that, it's still long and dull. I didn't need multiple 10+ minute songs that are just okay. It's tiring. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Experimental bro music

Well I enjoyed it, so there. Kept my attention and was never dull. Certainly unlike anything other than......Maudlin of the well (which I also liked). Not that I'd listen to this all the time though- you've got to be in the mood for the noise..

Pleasantly bleak. Like a more metal Mogwai.

Stately and spiritual metal, rather than speed and thrash, with some quietistic variety ("A Pitcher of Summer," "The Antique") adding to the thoughtfulness and interest. It's still not remotely one's thing. And so only belongs on list proper if it were to replace another metal record -- any of them, really, Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Motorhead or that awful Brazilian band whose name one shall not speak – this is a full shout better than any of those.

Having read the Wikipedia I thought this would be one I should listen to on my main sound system to give it the best go. I thought it was all recorded and liked the sound but overall it didn’t really grab me.

Not unpleasant.

Creates a consistent and unique vibe in an unorthodox marriage of mainly quiet moments with compositional studio metal. Won’t ever listen again because it’s not my genre, but an interesting listen that I wouldn’t have had anyone recommend.

"Avant-Garde Metal" but really it's pretty standard post-rock that sometimes screams at you.

Oh bother. This throws a lot of sonics at the wall during these long, amorphous songs with spoken word, oboes, and death rattles.

Curious art metal that needs several listens i think.

Solid progressive metal. It doesn't blow me away or anything but I dig it. There's some good quiet parts that balance out the heavier sections.

Avant-garde metal, post-metal, chamber rock, black metal. Me gusta más al final que durante. 3

This looks like it could be doom metal or something. Never heard of it, but I like the artwork. Ok it's some kind of avant garde affair. It's been proggy rock, jazzy, ambient... all in the first 2 minutes. Keeping an open mind... now it's drifted into sorta metal but sorta mostly just noise. We're at 5 min and this is a tough listen. Half an hour later, still a bit to go but I get the overall vibe. Strange time signatures, "dynamics" in that LOUD then soft then LOUD then soft then LOUD fashion, 50 different musical genres (so learned!), weird singing. The full artsy works and jerks. Boring and pointless, imo. 2/5.

Avant-garde metal, post-metal, chamber rock, black metal. Rollo. Un 2.

The opening track was almost enough to make me not want to listen to the rest of the album. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as rock-jazz but now I do. Not my kind of thing

Just different and weird. I was surprised by the amount of different instruments that seemed to be present, but there isn't much that immediately seems enjoyable... just strange and slightly interesting.

I wasn’t much a fan of this it was a bit too slow and boring.

Excited to hear it but left disappointed.

Música original, diferente, cargada de matices. Pasa de la calma más absoluta a la rabia de voz desgarradora. Demasiado experimental. Tiene poco que me haya gustado

Every now and then there was a bit where I thought it was going to liven up a little but those bits were very few and far between. I got bored well before the end but stuck it out in what proved to be false hope of enjoyment.

Avant-garde metal, post-metal, chamber rock, black metal. Rollo. Un 2.

Interesting but not entirely sure this works. I guess it does for some people.

I didn't understand the proposal, for me it's music and that's it, from lounge to simple noise... if there's no song it's an album based more on sounds, which seem like a hypnotic trance. Very lazy

90% quiet noodling 10% nu-metal. Like seriously I think they accidentally hit record 2 hours before a rehearsal one day and just decided to publish it and see what happens.

5 songs..*squinting* 56 minutes? I had to pause this and felt no need to come back. I appreciate this project opening us to all types of music but avant garde metal..maybe we don’t have to listen to this before we die

Theres meal music which is pretty polarizing and there is avant- garde music which is pretty polarizing as well. You mix the two together and you don’t get acclaimed music everyone loves. Actually you probably get the most niche type of Music out there. This was weird, dull, and not something I’d enjoy listening to again. But at least someone likes it. 2.4/10

There's one small part of the album where it sounds like they're playing classical Spanish guitar and I thought, this could be changing around for the better. Nope. It's just difficult to get through.

Metal noise.

Definitely not for me.

Ugh, some people like some dumb shit. (Sorry OP)