With a previous formidable track record consisting of three full-length concept albums, four experimental EPs, and a myriad of remixes and rearrangements to note, Belgian Industrial/Post-Rock unit Thot are resurfacing into the ever-dynamic civilization with their fourth studio album, Delta (Pelagic Records), which is a powerful amalgamation of everything all at once: people, places, spaces, and times that have shaped the band’s identity and helped form the integral parts of the band’s trajectory of life throughout the years. It envisages many forms of hope and perseverance against all odds – with all its atmospheric complexities and all-around-resonant distortions.
Specially crafted to attune to the nichés similar to Health, Chelsea Wolfe, Bauhaus, and Nine Inch Nails, Thot meticulously implements references that revolve around post-Rock and cold-wave electronic orchestration in a cinematic attitude on the album. It was written, arranged, recorded, and documented between late 2019 and 2023, while featuring spectacular collaborators of various nationalities and backgrounds – including the award-winning Czech singer-songwriter Lenka Dusilová. There are also contributions by many other equally promising collaborators such as Lukas Melville, Gil Chevingné, Stéphane Fedele, Anaïs Elba, Michael Thiel, and Juliette Mauduit.
The lead single featured on this album, “Supercluster”, is a bass-heavy track strong on adrenaline rush – an enchanting representation of a galactic supercluster. The song also delivers the message that in this ride of life, we happen to battle against things that are actually insignificant and immaterial, be it a wrestle with ourselves or each other. Outside of “Supercluster” there is also a track that features the arresting and bewildering vocals of Mauduit which is inspired by an Istanbul-bound performance – namely “Hüzün”. The title itself is a Turkish word for the space between sorrow and melancholy, and it becomes a formative medium for Thot themselves to address all forms of liminalities incorporated on Delta; be it cultural, musical, or emotional. Aside from that, we also have a track strongly inclined towards Prog Metal tendencies, with a profound theme surrounding sentimental emotions of mankind.
My verdict is that Thot intricately has succeeded in presenting a cosmic tale of human emotions and collective memories wrapped up in a form of atmospheric Post-Rock with sludgy undertones, mostly comparable to the tunes of Chelsea Wolfe and King Woman on Delta. The creative process and craftsmanship that Thot has undergone manifests in well-crafted characters and tales in which the audience is also invited to engage and become part of their tales.
Buy the album here:
https://thot.bandcamp.com/album/delta-2
8 / 10
RALKA SKJERSETH