Eye See Home Promotions is a compilation series that showcases the independent and/or unsigned metal bands around the world. Its founder, Jill Colbert, was polite and happy to answer some questions I had about the metal community. She was someone I may have been, had I stuck to this scene. I was once a metalhead with my ears only glued to music with speed, solos, heaviness and screaming. As I have branched out with my tastes, it feels good to see someone like Colbert still pursuing the kind of dream I once had. Rather Colbert than me; someone who has moved on.
Eye See Home has released the first installment within its series (simply called Volume 1), and it can be found at their Bandcamp page.
The release is what you would expect from a metal compilation. The goal here is not to create a new entity that is made up of the building blocks of other artists (like the The Harder They Come soundtrack, for instance). You are here to simply pick up on one of the 20 paths laid down for you. A common sound, if one had to be picked, is the use of symphonic structures and singing (save for the songs that feature screams and growls). You will have more upbeat near-party songs (Battleborn and H1N1), gothic/power metal ballads (The Grey Returns and Shadows of Angels) and some technical whirlwinds (Frozen Beneath The Snow and Belly of the Beast).
You may leave with a favorite, too. For me, it was Dialectic Soul’s We Are Born From The Pain. The song reminded me of mid-discography Opeth, with its deep growls and foxtrotting guitar lines. In the end, this is a collection of fans wanting to share the early stages of their career. You can treat this like a trip to Las Vegas. You can visit it and see what it’s all about and you may even leave a winner. That’s how the metal community works. It’s all about sharing. The artists featured have shared their music, and Jill Colbert has shared it to the world.
I asked Jill Colbert a few questions, and here is what she had to say about both metal and the community.
Jill Colbert
1. Compilations are usually put together to promote music. What makes this release unique? Why are these particular artists’ songs compiled together?
Fortunately, there has been a rise in the independent scene with a DIY attitude. The artists on this compilation were chosen because are an incredible representation of the independent scene. The quality is astounding; they are all highly motivated and work very hard to get their material out there to the masses. With these songs, there is an eclectic mix to open people to new styles, artists in a way they wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.
2. What is your view of the metal community lately? Is it thriving or has it been stronger?
I think it’s a mixture of both. There are the select group of people that are very locked into their ways, and are not exactly welcome to change, but that can be said for anything. My experience is that the metal community is home, a place where people can let go, share passions and where someone falls, someone is always there to pick you up. There is more of a call to rise as a scene and a support system and it’s been amazing to see.
3. How did Eye See Home Promotions come to be? What was it that made you want to begin this project?
Over the past years I’ve worked with bands from local to Grammy winning bands as an illustrator. After my experiences I’ve seen many people I have worked with and care about being taken advantage of by the industry, to the point that they aren’t passionate about what they do anymore. I got tired of them being taken advantage of and I got tired of being taken advantage of. This resulted in being involved with band management and then this project. I wanted to create an outlet and a supportive community for these people to live their passion and to be able to do what they love.
4. What has been your biggest success with Eye See Home thus far?
I would say the biggest success with Eye See Home would be being able to put this together in a short amount of time with the amount of support received for the project. This project started in early December, with the idea being formed a little earlier in 2014. The fact that there are more people coming in, believing in this project, believing in these musicians, believing in the cause has been overwhelming so far.
5. What are some goals you have for Eye See Home to achieve in the foreseeable future?
I want people to believe in independent in unsigned bands. Even when I ask people to check this out, there’s the automatic, “I don’t want to check out unknown bands”. They think it’s going to be a collection of bands that sound like they recorded in a garage by a cell phone. My goal is to have Eye See Home Promotions to have the reputation of the “go to” compilation to hear fantastic quality bands active in the independent scene. The amount of “likes” or followers on social media shouldn’t determine the quality of material.
6. Seeing as you took part in piecing together a compilation release, were you influenced by any other compilations you may have been fond of growing up?
One of my favorite and most influential “compilations” are the various artist soundtracks from the “Resident Evil” and “Underworld” movie franchises. Growing up, these albums influenced my taste, how I discovered bands including Cradle of Filth, A Perfect Circle, Lacuna Coil, Demon Hunter, Slipknot. This is also true with “Headbanger’s Ball” was how I discovered artists like Sevendust, Marilyn Manson, Godsmack, Arch Enemy and such. Of course, there are also the infamous Warped Tour compilation series that come out every year, which helped me discover bands that I wouldn’t have found otherwise, and I still listen to them to this day.
