Thus Spoke

Words of (questionable) wisdom

SARMAT – Determined to Strike Review

By Thus Spoke on June 20, 2023 in Reviews, 45 comments

“They say you can never have too much of a good thing. But they’re wrong. Everything eventually becomes stale. As the age-old complaint/joke about technical death metal highlights, there is definitely such thing as too technical and complex. While it differs from person to person, everyone has a threshold beyond which music stops being enjoyable due to its dissonance, technicality, and complexity. With this preamble, I introduce New York progressive technical death metal group SARMAT, whose debut Determined to Strike is likely to approach if not leap beyond the threshold of many listeners.” Prog Depot.

Teitan – In Oculus Abyss Review

By Thus Spoke on June 7, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 7 comments

“Even if it’s not so prevalent now, part of black metal’s original aims was to shock, subvert, and make uncomfortable. Metal fans and horror aficionados alike, among others, are privy to the thrills of art that disquiets, and sends a shiver up the spine. Teitan—the solo project of Dutch multi-instrumentalist Devi Hisgen of Marquis and Cthuluminati—seems to attempt exactly this.” Fear as fun.

Hours of Worship – Death & Dying Vol. I Review

By Thus Spoke on June 5, 2023 in Reviews, 9 comments

“Not even a year ago, I sat down with the sophomore LP, The Cold that You Left from Lisbon/New York City duo Hours of Worship. Its dour, moody sensibility had me channeling my inner goth as it spun its miserably pretty synth soundscapes. Now, Death & Dying Vol. I—with part II due later this year—has arrived to double down on the despair.” Sad as sport.

Thantifaxath – Hive Mind Narcosis Review

By Thus Spoke on May 30, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 49 comments

“Thantifaxath have never been accessible and easy listening, but here they seem to have turned a corner into both a clarifying and an intensifying of their sound. Setting aside much of the noise influences that characterized their earlier work, they now sharpen their dissonant death edge, and sound somewhat like Portal, if Portal were accessible, with a crisper production, and forward, barbed vocals.” Facsimile of evil.

Sporae Autem Yuggoth – …However It Still Moves

By Thus Spoke on May 19, 2023 in Reviews, Death Doom, 21 comments

“The somewhat ominously titled…However, It Still Moves is the debut of Chilean death-doomsters Sporae Autem Yuggoth. Without being able to parse the Latin, but being informed by the promo material that theirs is a “Lovecraftian moniker,” all this adds up to quite a foreboding piece. This portent proves pretty accurate upon pressing play. What unfolds is an hour of spooky, synth-accented, gritty death metal that’s essentially funeral doom with a grimy low-fi production.” No sudden movements.

Death of Giants – Ventesorg Review

By Thus Spoke on May 15, 2023 in Reviews, 29 comments

“Grief is both intensely personal, and a commonality between us all. This admixture of the private and the relatable can make music through which it is channeled incredibly powerful. In a genre like doom, already associated with the melancholy and the morose, these emotions fit naturally and reinforce both the sense of sadness and the potency of the music itself. The recent output of Swallow the Sun initially springs to mind. Death of Giants is another such act.” Giant feelz.

Örnatorpet – Evigt Främmande, Evigt Fjärran Review

By Thus Spoke on May 2, 2023 in Reviews, Ambient, Dungeon Synth, 22 comments

“Dungeon synth. ‘That might be a nice palate cleanser. That might be something chilled and easy to listen to.’ So thought I when I read the promo. This is somehow the seventh album from Swedish dungeon synth/ambient project Örnatorpet. Even after reading Dear Hollow‘s not especially glowing review of their previous, I maintained a grain of optimism, because how bad could it really be?” The death of optimism.

Fires in the Distance – Air Not Meant for Us Review

By Thus Spoke on April 25, 2023 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 65 comments

“Back in September 2020, as the UK enjoyed respite between Covid lockdowns, and the air started to grow colder and the leaves duller with the promise of autumn, I heard Echoes from Deep November, the debut of melodic death metallers Fires in the Distance. It sounded—to my ears—like no one else, despite having elements reminiscent of Omnium Gatherum, Amorphis, and Be’lakor. And it stayed with me long after the leaves were dead and fallen. Fast-forward two and a bit years, when the singles from sophomore Air Not Meant for Us began to drop, and I was flooded with nostalgia and excitement as I heard that signature sound again.” Fires closer than they may appear.

Decipher – Arcane Paths to Resurrection Review

By Thus Spoke on April 21, 2023 in Reviews, 25 comments

“The artwork for Arcane Paths to Resurrection struck me immediately, and not only because it’s cool. There was something familiar about it, and after a little digging, I found that the same artist, Artem Grigoryev, is behind both this and the cover of Suffering Hour’s The Cyclic Reckoning. What’s funny is that even before discovering this, I was thinking about how much Decipher’s debut reminded me of Suffering Hour. It has a similar grittiness, a similar piercing edge to its guitar tones, and similar thrashy energy.” Suffering for art.

Dødheimsgard – Black Medium Current Review

By Thus Spoke on April 13, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, 64 comments

“If you were to ask me how to do avant-garde black metal, I would point straight away to Dødsheimgard. The trajectory of their sound from raw second-wave fury to electronic, industrial, jazzy, experimental black has been nothing short of thrilling to witness. 2015’s A Umbra Omega—my personal entry point—set a new standard in the avant-garde metal scene, demonstrating the weird, wonderful depths DHG could conjure, fully realized.” Odd fellows unrest.