Listen to “≈ In The Pinewaves ≈ / guardian angel bear” by Fire-Toolz

The word “dreamlike” often bears an association of hazy, fluid arrangements, but Angel Marcloid seizes on the chaotic and absurd whiplash of the subconscious in her work as Fire-Toolz. She burrows further into her all-encompassing explorations on her first double album Eternal Home. With the opening two-song set, “≈ In The Pinewaves ≈ / guardian angel bear,” Marcloid pulls from what seems like an unlimited expanse of textures, lending the impression of a supernatural architect.

On “≈ In The Pinewaves ≈,” Marcloid’s harsh vocals scrape across an opening blast-beat chug, with an airy drift of saxophone and synths peeling away from a hard rhythmic stop. She sounds untethered from a body, charging through as a forceful and eerie presence. She clears out a quiet space as the song ends. Birdsong and electronic twitches flit around the light buzz of a cicada drone—until synths erupt again like an arcade cabinet thrown on in the middle of the woods, announcing the beginning of “guardian angel bear.”

Amid her power-metal guitar riffs, wraith-like vocals, and neon arena-rock uplift, Marcloid dusts these songs with faint sparkles and other subtle surprises; an owl hoots between squalls. Marcloid keeps the paradoxes running until the final seconds of “guardian angel bear,” ending it with a thud and a twinkle: a quick twist of charm that underscores the buoyancy of her infinitely uncharted visions.