Truly warped funk/dub ensemble the Eternals combined the talents of Damon Locks (vocals, keyboards, special EFX), Wayne Montana (bass, melodica, guitar, keyboards), and Dan Fliegel (percussion, guitar, keyboards). Montana and Locks spent years together in the overlooked Trenchmouth, and Fliegel spent time with members of Tortoise as Tom Zé's backing band during touring. Much like Trenchmouth, but with less emphasis on guitar, the Chicago-based Eternals threw together a number of influences -- from Lee Perry to the Headhunters to Gang of Four -- placing rhythm as the focus with melody and noise not far behind. After releasing two singles on Thrill Jockey in 1999, the Eternals made their self-titled full-length debut on DeSoto a year later. In 2004 the band added drummer Tim Mulvenna (of the Vandermark 5) and released Rawar Style, which was followed in 2006 by the EP High Anxiety, a collection of remixes. Heavy International, the third studio album, was released in 2007. ~ Andy Kellman