It’s been a long time coming, but Thou have finally seen fit to awaken from their slumber and crush us with a new full-length record. Heathen (Gilead Media) is indeed, crushing. At 74 minutes in length, one might fear that it would get monotonous, or that it might drag. On the contrary, Heathen is varied and compelling for the entire runtime, and arguably the length of the record adds to the overwhelming power of the album.
Album opener, ‘Free Will’ is the longest song on the album, and the best (which is no easy judgement to make on a record of such quality). This might be the quintessential Thou song. A combination of feedback, chunky riffs, pounding drums and tortured vocals create an unnervingly heavy start to the album. But eventually, a melody bursts forth and it’s almost triumphant, accompanied by vocals that sound more empowering than they do tortured. It sounds like one of those moments where, if this were a hardcore show, people would be climbing over each other to grab the mic for themselves. Melody doesn’t mean that Thou have gone soft though, the riffs here are as weighty as ever.
One of the most impressive things about Heathen is that on the whole, the longest songs are the best. The longer song lengths and longer album length mean that Heathen sounds very organic, as Thou move seamlessly from one idea or riff to the next. The progressions all feel very natural, but changes in pace keep the listener guessing. ‘Into the Marshlands’ is a particularly good example of this. The album is also peppered with interludes, such as the wonderfully titled ‘Take Off Your Skin and Dance in Your Bones’, allowing the listener some time to breathe in amongst what is otherwise a fairly relentless album. Whilst it is undeniably dynamic, it isn’t exactly an easy listen, making the interludes very welcome, like shelter from a storm. Another album highlight would be ‘At the Foot of Mount Driskill’, which initially sounds almost like a funeral doom song. Whereas the melody on ‘Free Will’ sounded triumphant, the melody here is absolutely heartbreaking. As the melody gives way to a life-ending chug, accompanied by howls of “WE ARE NOTHING”, it is impossible not to feel an emotional connection to the music. Dauntingly long albums can sometimes lose their impact, alienating the listener (Swans‘ otherwise excellent The Seer comes to mind), but this certainly isn’t a problem with Heathen.
It might be a lot to take in on a first listen, but it is totally worth your time. This is an album that gets more rewarding every time. There is a lot of detail to explore in the music as well as the lyrics, which seem to be philosophically minded. Heathen sounds like a storm manifest as a piece of music, as devastating as it is awe-inspiring. Whatever you do, don’t sleep on this.
9/10
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Tom Saunders
On the wide and incredibly varied spectrum of black metal, Gris fall under the “exquisite, spacious and atmospheric” variety. They’re commonly labelled as a depressive suicidal black metal (DSBM) band, but on this album they display far more experimentation, especially given the expansive non black-metal sections, than many of their peers. The first track, ‘L’Aube’, is a breathtakingly beautiful piece, primarily comprised of gently plucked acoustic guitar, and ethereal chanting. Fans of Alcest will be in their element with music like this, although there is a darker undercurrent here, which becomes quickly apparent when the tortured screams burst through and shatter the tranquility.
Monarque is a one man black metal project from Quebec. Dabbling in the realm of depressive suicidal black metal (DSBM), despite being relatively melodic, Lys Noir (Sepulchral Productions) is unapologetically raw. Much of the melody on the album comes from keyboards that play under the buzz of the guitar. The use of keyboards on the album is very tastefully done, ensuring that any risk of cheesiness is comfortably avoided. Remaining firmly in the background, and allowing the riffs to take centre stage, the keyboard merely adds another textural layer to the album.
No one can forget the fact that they’ve heard Reign In Blood. Or Ride The Lightning. Or Pleasure To Kill. None of these facts has stopped a thrash revival of sorts from happening over the last few years. Although it has admittedly wained a little now, there is still a steady stream of albums coming out that sounds as if they could’ve come straight from the 80s. Luckily, Noisem‘s Agony Defined (A389 Recordings) is one of the better ones.
12 years since their last full-length, Gorguts have seen fit to grace us mere mortals with a new album. Has it been worth the wait? In short, oh yes, yes it has. Densely technical and chaotic, Colored Sands (Season Of Mist) is as punishing as it is rewarding. Whilst it’s far from being a catchy album, Gorguts never sacrifice riffs in favour of technicality, and their music never comes across as “technical for the sake of it”. The opening riff on ‘An Ocean Of Wisdom’, for example, is absolutely monumental, and almost hummable, before dissolving into atonal “melodies” that any fan of Deathspell Omega should be more than familiar with. The fluidity of Gorguts’ compositions on this album is astounding, flowing between eerie atmospherics, dense, rumbling riffs, and mind-bending technicality with ease that would make lesser musicians green with envy.
Some fans may understandably be put off by the fact that the 3 year wait for new Vasaeleth (Profound Lore) material has resulted in a mere 5 track, 19 minute release. However, there is a strong argument that this release format is ideal for the style of ugly death metal that Vasaeleth play. When the consistent high quality of the release becomes apparent, any complaint about it’s briefness should be silenced. The short runtime actually offers more incentive to revisit the release more frequently.
A.M.S.G couldn’t be more cold, grim and isolating if they tried. They capture the frosty, alienating tone of black metal perfectly, even if on Anti Cosmic Tyranny (Profound Lore), they don’t always have the songs to back up the atmosphere. Being honest, the first two songs sort of drift by. They aren’t bad, but they feel a bit long, and they don’t offer much that catches the ear. That said, the album is worth sticking with, because it really hits it’s stride on the third track, ‘Sacrificial Chants Of Cosmic Separation’. A.M.S.G know how to write a hypnotic, mid-paced riff, which is bound to catch the listener’s ear, and this song is abundant with them.
Morne play atmospheric doom, not too dissimilar in style to Downfall Of Gaia, for lack of a better way to describe it. From the moment Shadows (Profound Lore) starts playing, an irresistibly thick guitar tone washes over the listener. The pacing is hypnotically consistent, and perfect for headbanging to. That isn’t to say that the album lacks variety when it comes to tempo changes though. The main riff on ‘Coming of Winter’ gallops along, whereas the opening of the final track, ‘Throes’ exhibits more of a droning ambience.