Eyes of Eva Feature 

• @kkatherinethomas
• Eyes of Eva

Sometimes it's hard to find just the right fit. The moment you find that ideally-sized piece of clothing or pair of shoes can be euphoric—and the same goes for finding a perfect fit for a band. It takes time to find people who click artistically, have the same vision and are willing to put in the required work to bring that vision to fruition.

Local rock band Eyes of Eva have found that ideal combination and it facilitates the creation of some truly exceptional music. Eyes of Eva started out like most other bands—with a couple friends and a dream. Guitarist Brandon Watson and bassist Dustin Ballew had worked together on other projects, but wanted to start something new where they could fully express their artistic desires.

"I always wanted to do a band that had a lot of imagery," Watson said. "We wanted to throw some theatrics in."

According to Ballew, it's taken time to get things just right, but they love how the band is today, featuring drummer Damon Evans and vocalist Shawnii Secrest. "It's taken a lot of incarnations, and I'm sure that it's going to continue to evolve as time goes on, but we've definitely more or less landed the mark with this one," he said.

Secrest became the linchpin, helping them to fully realize their goals as a band. "Shawnii has one of the best voices I've ever worked with, let alone heard," Ballew said. "Shawnii has played a big part in finding our sound."

They released their first single "Eva" in 2022, followed by their first album Temptation in March 2023. Eyes of Eva has an excellent rock/metal sound reminiscent of bands like Evanescence, Nightwish and Flyleaf, so if you're missing the goth vibe, you'll feel right at home with their music. To preview Temptation, the group released a music video for the title track, putting their visually stunning gothic vibes out for all to enjoy.

In October 2023, Eyes of Eva returned with their single "Drown With Me," heavily inspired by the Salem Witch Trials—specifically, the last words of Sarah Good, one of the first women to be accused of witchcraft and executed in 1692. "I'm no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life, God will give you blood to drink," Good said all those years ago.

"Dustin actually was the one that came up with the idea of Sarah Good's last words," Secrest said. "We built off of that, and then it just became the whole story. And honestly, I think it's become one of the coolest songs that I've ever written, had the pleasure of being a part of and doing. I love witchy stuff though too, so it's definitely in my realm of stuff that I enjoy learning about. I'm a huge history buff," she said.

The rest of the band share Secrest's love of the witchy vibes, so "Drown With Me" came easily to them. The song is melodic and paints a beautiful yet heartwrenching picture of pain as Secrest sings about their interpretation of how Sarah Good spent her final moments. Accompanying the song is also a music video where the band was able to bring the theatrics in full force.

Although the idea for that particular song came from one of the members, songwriting for the group is usually a very collaborative effort.

"Nobody's trying to play over one another." Ballew said. "Nobody's trying to show off any particular cool skills that they have. It's just whatever is in service to whatever we're playing at the time."

Moving forward, the group hopes to incorporate more music videos into their work. "You have elements with the song in itself, but bringing the video, it brings the whole thing to life," Secrest explained. "Then anybody can have their own experience just from watching it. It's like its own mini movie."

Since releasing "Drown With Me" in October 2023, listeners have been hungering for more from Eyes of Eva. Luckily, this week their new single "Memento Mori" is out, and it's a must-listen. It features those familiar somber, melodic, gothic vibes, but it also feels like the band is leveling up with this song.

"I think it's the next level of Eyes of Eva," Evans opined. "That's where we're going—a little bit deeper, darker of a sound, a little bit more complex and straight to the point."

The production is top-notch, and while listening, you can hear the cohesiveness shared by all of the members of Eyes of Eva. It's clear they're passionate about the music, and that shines through here. Even the title, "Memento Mori," meaning "remember you must die," lends itself to the band's goth/theatrical side.

"Momento Mori" will be streaming everywhere Friday, Nov. 29, the perfect post-Thanksgiving gift. There is more to come from the group, and they say it will continue to be high-level stuff like this new single.

"We're constantly growing and coming up with amazing ideas that I never thought that we would write about," Secrest reported. "We're all goofballs and we do it for the love of it, love of music, and we want to inspire people with what we're doing."