Hailing from the coast of Australia come Sydney's Endusk, a quintet that have chosen to pour their many talents into a darkly percussive rock dirge that seeks artistic merit and emotive depth over commercial worth. With their debut, the numbing tribal EP known as ".01", these five musicians make their intentions clear while struggling to avoid the "undertow".

Endusk venture down a progressive rock path paved with a moody ambiance uncannily similar to that of Tool. This aside, the band does have a certain seductive charm in titillating the eardrum with richly textured atmospherics, painting vivid soundscapes that ignore length and format while retaining a basic song structure. But if Endusk are Sydney's version of Tool then the role of Maynard James Keenan has been left empty, as Rachel Pale's velveteen vocals eschew the introspective wail. Instead she strikes with the confidence of Skunk Anansie's Skin while nurturing an empathetic delicacy ala Portishead's Beth Gibbons. This smoky allure commands attention while playfully avoiding aural commitment, as Pale has a tendency to retreat just as her voice rises to its fullness. What normally sounds like hesitation on the mic feels more like a premeditated tease, as Pale lures the listener deeper into this turgid jungle of melancholia.

The group surely aren't ashamed of their influences and indeed wear them proudly, as the vast majority of ".01" is the musical brethren (if not offspring) of Tool's brand of experimental hard rock. Never is this more notable than in James McKenna's performance, as he has a natural gift when it comes to replicating Justin Chancellor's probing bass lines. The spacey guitars and encompassing percussion are also repeat offenders as well however. Such obvious imitations are permissible when fronted by a hauntingly vibrant frontwoman as Pale, as her singing more often than not rescues Endusk from being cast away as just another clone. This is a debut rife with talent and brimming with promise. Unfortunately though, for a band that has been performing for over three years this inability to hone a true identity hints at a more pressing issue. One can only hope such affinities will fade away as the group move on, for ".01" is a solid introduction limited only by its prominent similarities.