Now signed to Dust On The Tracks Records and set to release II:XII, À Priori Memoriaé, Ethan Matthew's 10 year project reaches it's apex.

(Portland, Ore.)

[6-27-2014]

For the final installment of its concept-trilogy, Echo Us has signed a deal with Germany's Dust On The Tracks Records. The worldwide release of the fourth full-length studio album, II:XII, À Priori Memoriaé is due Sept. 12th(EUROPE), Sept. 15th (UK), and Oct. 7th (USA) . The album will be released on digipak as well as through all digital outlets, with distribution through SPV and worldwide partners.

II:XII, À Priori Memoriaé brings together a host of classical musicians with the Echo Us core, to create a work that starts in the past, but finishes in futuristic fashion.

'A Priori' literally means "from the former" in Latin. The album looks back on other levels of consciousness expressed in the preceding works of the trilogy, as if within an afterlife. Flowing as one long work based off of a few melodic motifs, À Priori Memoriaé is truly a 'classical' work in many ways, fusing ancient and modern instruments to create a stream of consciousness. Ethan Matthew's wrote and produced the album in Portland, Ore. Ethan is also known for his work with electronic-progressive metal pioneers Greyhaven, also released originally in Germany through Angular Records / SPV in the year 2000.

Echo Us won an Independent Music Award for "Best Eclectic" with 2012's Tomorrow Will Tell The Story. Like Tomorrow Will Tell, the new album again features the voice of GRAMMY-nominated vocalist, Henta. Henta appears in the latest Echo Us animated video, Nightlight. Ethan's insistence to an exacting inspiration within has meant following a different path than most. "The Echo Us project itself started in a mental ward- you can't get much further out than that!" he said. "I was in a very messed up space for many years, and making these albums was basically a therapy for me, but as things grew it became much more obvious that the music could guild me to better places, and in turn guild others possibly coming out of traumatic situations as well. I never thought I'd be able to do this on my own- and it's an interesting story to tell looking back now".

With Tomorrow Will Tell The Story, Echo Us appears to have invented Medieval Futurism- it sounds like Clannad being sucked through a wormhole and dropped in an alternate reality where robotic druids watch over humanity. Frankly, ambient music has never been more unnerving than this. ' PROG Magazine

Ethan underwent a variety of mental therapies, and in recent years has begun to develop methods for dealing with panic attacks and other mental states that plagued much of his teens through mid-20s. In 2013, this meant a return to live shows and a new attitude. "I received a gift of intense creativity and drive, but at the sacrifice of much of the 'normal life' I see around me" he said. "If I have to do this to stay sane, my belief is that the music can help people, and that's the whole point really isn't it? It's my job to communicate, whether musically or simply by being an understanding ear myself. I like listening to people more now that my batteries are recharged- these days I need to be around people, unlike a few years ago." said Ethan.

An animated video for the track "Nightlight" is available for viewing now, and an album preview was recently released. A video for the instrumental cut "Chrysalis" will also surface this fall. Clips of Chrysalis are offered up in the preview for a glimpse of what is to come, as Echo Us moves forward with their latest offering.