As a Metalhead from New Zealand, I cannot express enough how unrecognized Metal from my home country is recognized in the wider scene, and a lot of what I do hear, sadly, does not hold a candle to the greats from Europe and the Americas. It is therefore incredibly refreshing to hear new talent - phenomenal talent - from a place that, let's face it, many people forget even exist.

In HEATHEN EYES, we have an Auckland-based band that fuses many elements from a range of metal, rock and ambience that once again attests to the ever-evolving nature of progressive music. In this single alone, I can hear many melodies and riffs put together from the notebooks of many alt-metal/rock legends, such as DEFTONES and ALICE IN CHAINS, and delicious-sounding bass work found on TOOL's seismic "10,000 Days". "The Blood of Cain" features many industrial, melodic and catchy sections, fused together by characteristically heavy riffage that smashes through sonic boundaries with the force of the unrelenting bass mixing. The vocals are excellent; crisp, and at times, sounding pained; not so much painful to listen to, but simply exuding raw emotion. Different sounds again are found on the b-side, taking a more traditional alt rock approach in the vein of ALICE IN CHAINS, and even hinting at TOOL's earlier works on "Undertow". Certainly, either track sounds like a phenomenal live performance. Given the diverse range of dynamics and instrumentation, as well as the sheer musicianship found on a single, I imagine with anticipation the sound of their debut, which is hopefully soon.