Yellow Eyes

Yellow Eyes formed in Portland in 2008 around vocalist and guitarist Will Skarsten and drummer Brent Eyestone, with bassist Nate Newton joining later. They put out their first EP, 'Summoning the Cyclops,' the following year. Their sound pulls from doom metal and black metal, built on slow tempos and Skarsten's strained vocals.

Songs like 'Cabin Filled With Smoke and Flies' and 'Hammer Of Night' are sparse and heavy, with lyrics that circle despair and loss. The music doesn't rush; it sits in that space, creating a dense, almost claustrophobic atmosphere. It's the kind of work that draws listeners who find something recognizable in that weight.

Over several albums, they maintained that approach without much shift in tone or tempo. The consistency can feel like a single, extended meditation rather than a series of distinct statements. While some later bands in doom and drone have mentioned them as an influence, Yellow Eyes' catalog stands as a fairly insular, focused body of work.