Greek atmospheric heavymakers Church of the Sea will release their second full-length, Eva, on April 11 through These Hands Melt. Like their 2022 debut, Odalisque (review here), the seven-song/30-minute new outing is expansive in sound and finds the three-piece of vocalist Irene, guitarist Vangelis and synthesist Alex running deep textural threads through material that’s heavy whether it grows from cinematic foreboding to reveal itself as the monster eating you — as several tracks here do; looking at you, “Widow,” “Garden of Eden,” “Churchyard,” all of which are much louder by the finish than at the start — or is quieter and more brooding. Atmosphere is a central purpose; mood too.

And even if some of the structural paths are similar, as noted above, the sounds that come and go in the arrangements of keys, guitar, sundry electronic beats and other noises give life and variety to the methodical tempos and progressions behind Irene‘s breathy delivery, well suited to the echo treatment it gets in “Churchyard” or “The Siren’s Choice,” which unfolds after the table-setting intro “How to Build a Universe Pt. I” — to be sure, “Pt. II” bookends at the finish — with a treat of distorted guitar and a spacious sound that dares poppish keys in the second half at the same time as a semi-industrial slog is happening behind and Irene‘s voice is carrying the still-melancholic apex of the song. It ends up being a powerful moment if you let it be, and for being not without its element of challenge for all the melody and not-aggro presence, in terms of how the listener hears it, Eva is as much about the ambient drones and experimental flourishes as the solidity of the structures holding them up. Even the smallest-seeming piece of the thing can take you somewhere.

As regards the title-track, for which a video is premiering below, it took me specifically to “The Mirror” by SubRosa, more specifically the drumstick-on-mic-stand-for-percussion version found on their Subdued live album. Far back in “Eva” there’s a tock keeping time and it adds a folkishness alongside the guitar line that put me right there, and that’s not a complaint. Church of the Sea are coming from someplace else in terms of style, to be sure, and the build in “Eva” grows into more of a march in the song’s second half as that initial guitar line is swallowed by a current of distortion drone. The subsequent “Widow” feels more industrial at the start, with a darker rough hum and purposefully contrasting sweet vocal overtop, somehow mourning… I don’t know… everything?, but creating the space that the blinding guitar comes to occupy later effectively, and finding a way to bring hope to Eva without departing entirely the atmosphere or modus laid out up to that point.

“Widow” is where the A side ends on the vinly edition of Eva, and that makes sense as “Garden of Eden” fades in with bright guitar, far back drumming and an almost brazenly rocking feel. Sure enough, heavier guitar kicks in Jesu-style after about a minute with a nodder riff to accompany the hook. It recedes again for the next verse and it seems like the back and forth will be the crux of it, but the second half is a departure elsewhere that turns out no less satisfying, and before “How to Build a Universe Pt. 2” answers back to the intro to round out, “Churchyard” reminds of late era Author and Punisher by the time it’s done but at the start feels more like it’s drawing from Twin Peaks than post-apocalyptic sci-fi. Or at very least, can’t it be both? Sure can on “How to Build a Universe Pt. 2.” Perhaps more to the point, Church of the Sea speak to both these sides fluidly, organically, and efficiently, and that’s before you get to the biblical theme of the lyrics drawing the songs together.

Though it’s the first single from the album, don’t expect “Eva” to represent everything going on with the LP that shares its name, and do go into it with an open mind. As always, I hope you enjoy.

PR wire info follows:

Church of the Sea, “Eva” video premiere

Stream & Preorder “EVA” (Vinyl/CD/Digital): https://bio.to/cots​

Greek doomgaze trio Church of the Sea have unveiled the title track of their upcoming album “Eva”, which will be released on 11 April 2025 via These Hands Melt.

“Eva” reimagines the biblical story of Eve, challenging the traditional narrative and celebrating her defiance. The band explains, “Eva” is a twist in the story from the Book of Genesis, where the female is not seen as the sinner for seeking knowledge, but as the rebel that embraces what others consider ‘forbidden’”.

Regarding the music video, Church of the Sea added: “The video is a further juxtaposition between the forbidden and what is established as righteous and ideal. The creations of man that abuse nature, in contrast with the animalistic instincts in all of us, fighting to break free.”

For the recording of “Eva” the band returned to Suono Studios, while Alex Bolpasis was responsible for the engineering, production and mixing. The album was mastered by Nick Townsend at Infrasonic Mastering.

Tracklisting:
1. How to Build a Universe Pt. 1
2. The Siren’s Choice
3. Eva
4. Widow
5. Garden of Eden
6. Churchyard
7. How to Build a Universe Pt. 2

Church of the Sea are:
Irene – Vocals
Vangelis – Guitars
Alex – Synths and samples

Church of the Sea, Eva (2025)

Church of the Sea on Bandcamp

Church of the Sea on Facebook  ​

Church of the Sea on Instagram  ​

These Hands Melt store

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These Hands Melt on Bandcamp

Tags: Athens, Church of the Sea, Church of the Sea Eva, Eva, Greece, These Hands Melt

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 25th, 2025 at 6:35 am and is filed under Bootleg Theater, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.