Dinosaur Eyelids
Delivering heavy but melodic and heartfelt rock & roll in the tradition of the alternative rock boom of the '90s, Dinosaur Eyelids are a quartet from New Brunswick, New Jersey featuring vocalist Evan Staats, guitarist Patrick McKnight (who is also the principal songwriter), bassist Scott Staats, and drummer Mark Leone. Evan and Scott are brothers who've played music together since they were kids, while Patrick and Mark are longtime friends. Citing the Replacements and Soundgarden as key influences, Dinosaur Eyelids began playing together in the late 2000s, and they self-released their debut album, Winter Solstice, near the end of 2009. The hard-working band was soon a fixture at local clubs, and appeared regularly throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as making occasional stops in New York City. Dinosaur Eyelids' second album, Down a River, appeared in February 2011, followed by Conflagration in October 2012. After more regional touring and sharing stages with the likes of Dean Ween and the Parlor Mob, Dinosaur Eyelids dropped album number four, Bypass to Nowhere, in December 2014.
“Purely they are unstoppable. More like Soundgarden back in their day. I would say Soundgarden are their most direct influences are as you can hear many similarities between the two bands. Loud passionate riffs with great vocals to match. Dinosaur Eyelids add some of the current day social politics to their music to comment on what many people are feeling in the world. And in truth, it gives the band an extra layer of humanity you won’t see in most bands today. But the order of play today is riffs, riffs and even more riffs.
Even when some of their songs start in a slight country rock mood, the album quickly springs into life. When the Grunge / Stoner Rock riff comes out of nowhere to get your heart pumping in no time at all.
Dinosaur Eyelids are band with a great reputation and it is not hard to see why. They have written a strong collection of hard rocking tracks that will grab the attention of the most jaded of rock fans.
They have released an excellent album with too many great songs to mention. The production is fantastic as you can hear every lean and mean crunching second of this great album.
This is an album I have no hesitation in recommending to any concerning Alt Rock / Grunge / Stoner Rock fan. If you have not heard of these great rockers like myself then this album is a brilliant place to start. Superb and highly recommended.”-Sludgelord
http://thesludgelord.blogspot.com/2013/01/dinosaur-eyelids-conflagration-review.html
“They seem to grow as musicians on each trip to the studio. Giving birth to a nice and tidy slab of rock. "Conflagration", which according to Wikipedia is an uncontrolled burning that threatens human life, animal life, health, or property. Seems like a fitting title for this album. It borders on complete chaos, and at the same time retains an almost tranquil and melancholy vibe throughout. I think "Conflagration" will and should light some fires under many Rock 'n Roll addicts.”-EarMunchies
http://earmunchies.blogspot.com/2013/01/dinosaur-eyelids-conflagration.html
“Conflagration, the band’s third full-length, is worthy of such a malevolent title. Evan Staats, a brazen vocalist, who treats his record collection as an extension of personal politics, hasn’t lost any of his intensity; telling the listener to “kill your idols,” to a backdrop of powerful, grunge-like riffage. Like a ‘90s trio who got caught in a zeitgeist whirlwind, Conflagration is a manifestation of emotions: The maniacal and melodic contrasts add complexity and depth.”-Chybucca Sounds
http://chybuccasounds.com/2013/01/25/dinosaur-eyelids-conflagration-servis-road/
"Exploding into life with the nihilistic despair of ‘Maelstrom of Malevolence’ Evan Staats’ passionate angst-ridden wails, acts as a riling cry to the social-networking generation to log-off and make a stand against government-controlled news media – an anthem for change."-Chybucca Sounds (UK)(http://chybuccasounds.com/2011/03/06/dinosaur-eyelids-down-a-river-servis-road/)
"I had thought that the old-school American power pop/punk/metal sound was dead and posthumously consumed by emo pop punk, but Dinosaur Eyelids have proven me wrong with this solid release, or at least taught me not to rest on my laurels. This is a band that puts their arms around their inspirations, yet produce something completely unpredictable! Bottom line, buy “Down a River” by Dinosaur Eyelids, than see the band live!"-Phil Rainone, JerseyBeat.com (http://www.jerseybeat.com/philrainone.html#dino)
"...chock full of distortion and in your face vocals and drums. “Maelstrom of Malevolence” is the first track on the album and, like a lot of the album, has a 70’s Black Sabbath feel with Evan Staats’ vocals sounding like a mix of Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell (Cornell’s Soundgarden days of course)...“Down A River” is a great example of what alternative rock should sound like."-Jersey Rock Review (http://jerseyrockreview.com/2011/02/14/dinosaur-eyelids-%E2%80%93-down-a-river-%E2%80%93-album-review/)
"...'Down a River' wails with gritty guitar riffs, accompanied by subtle yet engaging rhythms. Songs like '…And the Gods Made War' and 'Further Down a River' exemplify the band's undying energy that is put forth in their music.
But don't underestimate Dinosaur Eyelids diversity — tracks such as 'Conditionals' and 'Across the Sea' add a tranquil vibe to the album's entirety. "Across the Sea" creeps into a suave state as lead singer Staats croons, "so now I'm drifting across the sea/and where I drift to don't mean much to me." The song truly makes listeners feel as though they are drifting across the sea, which heeds much praise toward the fabulous songwriting. All of the tracks on the album contain deeply heartfelt lyrics that can be accredited to Staat's poetic nature.
Dinosaur Eyelids have struck a chord on displaying their imminent talent with 'Down a River'. Playing gigs ranging from local hot spot, the Court Tavern to Fontana's in New York City..."-Emily Gabriele, Rutgers Targum (http://www.inside-beat.com/music/dinosaur-eyelids-release-their-second-album-just-in-time-for-valentine-s-day-1.2463392)
"The album kicks off with the great song Maelstrom Of Malevolence. This album sounds very good. It is well produced. All instruments sound outstanding and are in good balance. The singer does like on the first album a great job. This guy is blessed with a fantastic voice."-Stoner Rock is Here to Stay (The Netherlands) (http://insane-riez.blogspot.com/2011/02/down-river.html)
“The lyrics of each song are poetic and Evan Staats has the perfect voice for this band and this kind of music. Patrick McKnight has an awesome power guitar cutting through the songs and Scott Staats and Dan Fishtein provide the thunder of Dinosaur Eyelids with the bass and drums…keep an eye on these guys as I‘m sure they will be moving up quickly.”
-Jersey Rock Review (http://jerseyrockreview.com/2010/08/31/dinosaur-eyelids/)
“This is fuzzy, heavy rock n’ roll. I really think this guy sounds like John Garcia, and the music has a big Kyuss feel to it, but they showcase a lot of other elements. My top pick song for this album is the last song, Waves. I love this album, and I’m sure this band is going to make some heads turn.”
-Sludge Swamp (http://sludgeswamp.blogspot.com/search?q=dinosaur+eyelids)
"Their brand of alternative rock is hard-hitting and straight to the point, while grunge and metal can be heard in amongst the driving melodies, which is unsurprising, given that Black Sabbath, Kyuss and Soundgarden are cited as influences. ‘White Lies’ and ‘Waves’ are undoubtedly the stand out tracks here, along with the down-tuned fuzz of the albums title track. Dinosaur Eyelids have played 45 shows since they began touring in June 2009, and the tightness of Winter Solstice can be attributed to this."
-Chybucca Sounds (UK) (http://chybuccasounds.com/2010/11/22/dinosaur-eyelids-winter-solstice-servis-road-records/)
“Their debut album Winter Solstice is a great one. Listen to the riff of the title track, it is awesome! Just like the other songs. My favorite is the last track Waves, a typical song to end an album. It starts subdued and ends in a great climax. Another great song is Know How To Die, that starts with a nice acapella intro. And Modal Realism has a riff that sticks in your head for the rest of the day. “
-Stoner Rock is Here to Stay (The Netherlands) (http://insane-riez.blogspot.com/2010/05/dinosaur-eyelids.html)
“You can’t get any more alternative rock than these guys.”
-Tim Louie, East Coast Rocker
“…like a Hendrix haze…sloth show ‘Paranoid era’ Black Sabbath stoner metal with elements of Nebula and Kyuss.”
-Scott Frost, The Trentonian Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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