I’m sitting here editing an interview with Eric Guenther, which we’re gonna run tomorrow afternoon. Guenther plays synths on the new Daath album, and did the same on Levi/Werstler’s Avalanche of Worms earlier this year, but his main gig is as guitarist and vocalist for Atlanta’s From Exile. And even though I’ve had From Exile’s self-released Monolith forever, and even though I love and listen to it constantly, I’ve never gotten around to writing about it. It doesn’t say anything about the music; it’s just one of those things.

But I’m gonna write about From Exile now, damn it. ‘Cause this is a damn fine band, and you should all be listening to them.

From Exile obviously have a connection to Daath; besides Guenther being a frequent collaborator of that band’s, Monolith was produced one Eyal Levi, and it features guest solos from Eyal and Emil Werstler, and drums by Kevin Talley, and the album art is by Jorden Haley, the same guy who does all of Daath’s graphics. The close connection between the two bands makes sense in a certain regard; both groups’ sounds are ostensibly a melting pot of various influences synthesized into something exciting and new, and both bands have a “fuck it, anything goes” swagger about their music, without ever sacrificing strong songcraft.

But From Exile is very much its own animal. Their MySpace page lists Yes, Dream Theater, In Flames, and Pink Floyd as their primary influences, and I believe it. The band makes seemingly effortless shifts from Gothenburgian dual-guitar shred to Megadethian thrash-gallop to soaring blues metal to druggy, proggy post-rock to Crowbarian molasses… and that’s all within the first four songs.

It’s also got the best use of an organ on a metal album I’ve heard in a long time. I really do mean that.

As I write this, I’m listening to Monolith, and the more I listen, the more I feel like a big stupid idiot for having never written about this band before. What the fuck is wrong with me?

Monolith is streaming, in its entirety, here; at that same spot, you can also download an mp3 or FLAC copy for all of seven bucks, which, I can pretty much promise you, is gonna be the best seven bucks you spend all week. The band is working on a four song, digital-only EP cover EP, and, also at that same website, you can hear a sample of From Exile’s version of one my favorite Nine Inch Nails songs, “Ruiner,” which promises that these covers will most certainly not be rote re-recordings of the original.

And once you’ve listened to Monolith and the Nine Inch Nails sample and are now fully on-board with From Exile, you’ll want to go back and read the guest blog Eric Guenther wrote for us as part of Levi/Werstler’s site takeover back in April.

And tomorrow we’ll run that interview with Eric, which should only further enhance that tingling sensation you’re currently experiencing where your bathing suit covers.

-AR