“5 Albums That Changed My Life” with Andrew Wells (Eidola)

Eidola is one of the most unique and talented new bands I’ve heard in years.

I know that’s a bit of a cold open and a rash statement, but I care not. I mean it. They’re a bit cut from the same cloth as Dance Gavin Dance or A Lot Like Birds, but there’s more obvious Deftones and Tool influences if you listen hard enough. Seriously, go listen to Degeneraterra right now.

Vocalist Andrew Wells of Eidola stopped by to issue 5 albums that have had a profound influence on his life. Read up, discover something new, and check out his thoughts after the jump. You can also check out their music video for “The Great Deception” after the jump.

“5 albums that changed my life” by Andrew Wells

I listen to a wide array of music, all of which I believe has a substantial impact on how I write and perceive art. Here are my top five albums that have truly shaped who I am as a singer and a songwriter.

Circa Survive – Juturna

I have been a fan of Circa since I was 13, and I would argue that they have been one of the most influential bands to me in my writing and performing. Juturna changed my life in so many ways and words cannot express the gratitude I feel toward this album. I remember going through a major depression stint when I was about 16 years old where I was cutting a lot and giving in to self-loathing. One night the suffering seemed so awful that I picked up a gun my dad kept in his closet and sat in on my lap. I was locked in a deeply personal struggle of whether or not to commit suicide when “House Of Leaves” came on my iPod. I sat and cried for like an hour with that album on repeat until I put the gun away and vowed to take whatever steps I needed to rid myself of these thoughts. Juturna literally saved my life, and since then I’ve pushed myself forward in music so that I can attempt to give that gift to other people.

Dance Gavin Dance – Downtown Battle Mountain

This album definitely got me started on the post-hardcore path that Eidola is on today. I remember going into a local FYE and just wanting something new, something I’d never heard before. Walking around the store, I decided to pick up an album based on the title and the cover art, basically just choosing albums at random. I saw the DBM cover art and thought the name is interesting, so I snatched it up. The feeling I got from holding that album was kind of surreal, like somehow I knew this album was going to be very important in my life. DGD creates such a beautiful, unique brand of post-hardcore that I think is completely in its own realm. The musicianship and songwriting DGD has showcased throughout seven albums is immaculate and has pioneered the genre in a really positive direction. If I didn’t pick up this album I would have never talked with Will and Eidola would have never signed with Blue Swan Records and made our new album.

Black Sabbath – Paranoid

Paranoid was the first album I ever bought with my own money. My dad used to listen to metal when I was growing up and hearing War Pigs for the first time both scared the shit out of me and peaked my interest in heavy music. I bought that album and had it on repeat for month just diving in to all of the heavy nuances that defined that record. Fairies Wear Boots was a song that was so foreign to anything I had ever listened to up to that point in my life and I loved the sound. That’s when I learned what “Drop D” was and started messing around with deeper tunings to get a heavier sound.

Dredg – El Cielo

Although Coheed and The Dear Hunter are major influences on me when it comes to concept albums, Dredg’s “El Cielo” takes the cake. I have listened to that album more times than I can count and every time I feel more nostalgic than the last. That album has everything, and it is unbelievably solid from start to finish. The concept is personal yet subjective, the songwriting is quirky and far out, and the instrumental layering is unlike anything I’ve ever heard since (even by Dredg). I love that album dearly, and will cherish it forever. El Cielo helped me define where I wanted to go with my conceptual songwriting, and helped me understand that weird sound exploration is always a good thing.

ISIS – Panopticon

This is another great band that really helped shape my taste in heavy music, especially within the post-metal vein of things. Panopticon was so far ahead of its time, I still find myself going back to that record and being impressed by the dynamic environment these guys were able to create. My friend Ian got me into this band when we first started writing music and playing shows, right around the time I was getting into Circa Survive. ISIS arguably pioneered post-metal for so many great bands that followed, and if you listen closely, we utilize a lot of their influence in our lengthy build sections. I remember seeing Isis and Circa at two separate shows one summer when I was 17 and saying “yep, this is what I’m doing for the rest of my life. I don’t really have a choice anymore.” That is how powerful those bands are to me.