<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt"><strong>Los Angeles band Echoes of Eternity releases debut album <em>The Forgotten Goddess</em></strong></div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">It’s hard to ignore the perky-metal presence of Echoes of Eternity female lead singer Francine Boucher. As soon as the petite golden girl, ensconced in “metal black”, takes the stage and starts singing, the blend of her peerless voice and the band’s old-school metal riffs quickly grabs the attention. The Los Angeles-based band has successfully amalgamated Boucher’s sweet but powerful voice with an uncompromising metal sound.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt; text-indent: -17.95pt"><span> For me, the most shocking thing about the band’s performance (</span><a title="Francine Boucher" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Francine_Boucher&action=edit"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none">Francine Boucher</span> — vocals, <span style="color: black"><span style="color: black">—</span><span style="color: black">guitars, </span><span style="color: black">— bass, <a title="Sam Young (guitarist)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sam_Young_%28guitarist%29&action=edit"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none">Sam Young</span></a></span><span style="color: black">—</span><span style="color: black">guitar,</span><span style="color: black"><a title="Kirk Carrison" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kirk_Carrison&action=edit"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none">Kirk Carrison</span></a></span> – Drums) at the House of Blues on Sunset was the fact that they weren’t the headlining act.<a title="Brandon Patton (guitarist)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brandon_Patton_%28guitarist%29&action=edit"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none">Brandon Patton</span></a></span></a><a title="Duane Cowan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Duane_Cowan&action=edit"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none">Duane Cowan</span></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">In 2005, EOE was essentially built around Boucher’s voice when the friends came together to create the band. The across-the-board musical interests and influences of each member, from 80s metal to Nancy Wilson, has brought them a sound that’s uniquely their own. But it’s also a sound that doesn’t easily fit into any of metal’s static musical genres.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">“Our music is melodic and ‘thrashy,’ but not easily pegged,” says guitarist Brandon Patton who, along with bass player Dwaine Cowan and Francine Boucher, took a moment to talk with me after their performance at HOB. “Having a unique sound means that it isn’t easily comparable to other bands and can’t be placed into a neat little box.”</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">And while some would expect that a metal band with a female lead might alienate metal purists, EOE has found that they now appeal to a greater range of fans. “EOE is liked by both men and women,” Patton explains. “We’re not a band that you have to secretly like if you’re a guy. And we have fans from all genres, even death metal. We’re confident in the sound we’ve established. After all, it has gotten us to this point.”</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">EOE’s debut full-length album <strong><em>The Forgotten Goddess</em></strong>clearly reflects the band’s ability to stay true to the foundations of metal while weaving in novel elements that complement their art and their message.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">Co-written by Patton and Boucher, the two agree that while they didn’t start out to write a concept album, certain patterns began to emerge.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">“When I was working on the lyrics I was reading a lot of philosophy,” says Patton. For example, the single <em>Expressions of Flesh</em> is about questioning your place in the universe. Many of the lyrics speak to something that everyone deals with as a human being — loss. Many metal bands deal with these subjects, but they tend to deal with them darkly. We hoped our album would take listeners on a more positive path. I think one of the bigger ideas of the album is about immortalizing yourself in the hearts of the people you love.”</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">And while this album might be one of hope and light, the sound is unmistakably metal. “…Even though we moved away from the negativity that metal often conveys, we still wanted to be aggressive and true to the genre musically,” says Patton. “And I’m not saying that all our albums will be like this. Who knows? The next one might be the darkest, sickest thing anyone has ever done.”</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">Echoes of Eternity is currently touring and will return to the Los Angeles area in October.</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">For more information on this band, please visit the following Web sites:</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">www,echoesofeternity.net</div>
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<div style="margin: 0mm 0mm 0pt">www.myspace.com/eoemetal</div>