Sunday 2 June 2013

Thy Grave - Anhedonia - Review


Thy Grave is a Sludge/Doom/Drone Metal Band from Russia

The members are:
primus — vocals
røt — vocals, lyrics
digger — bass, composing
uporoller — bass, composing
helferlein — drums, backing vocals

Now here is a real surprise. A band featuring a long-time viewer of the blog and a cool guy by the name of Sergey. He asked me to check out his new band – Thy Grave. A Sludge/Doom/Drone Metal band dealing in epic soundscapes full of anger and despair.

They call themselves Black Sabbath vs. Rodriguez Tarantino Grindhouse and that could be quite an apt description for their superb debut album – Anhedonia. A 6-song album running for around 60 minutes or so. Let me say this album is one powerful slab of epic drawn out Sludge/Drone Metal riffage. Four of the tracks run past the 12-minute mark so you had better strap yourselves in as you’re in for a brutal time. First track Thy Grave is a 2-minute breather before the real power of the album kicks in.

2nd track – Haudan – is a track that shows you the full power of this band. They blend down-tempo sludge/drone riffs with near comprehensible vocals. Seriously, I have no clue what the singers are shouting about. But you can tell they are not singing a love song. I must mention that this song features vocals from Primus from brilliant Finnish band Loinen. So kudos to the band getting talent like that involved. The song has some impressive lo-fi based riffs to headbang to. It’s a band stripped back at their most raw. Believe me when I say you will feel all the emotional damage and pain the band go through on this excellent track.

3rd Track – Abomination – is a 13:23 minute epic full of bass driven violent riffage that is the perfect soundtrack to your nightmares. Vocals are played at a pitch perfect level to match the brutal atmosphere the band are constantly creating. This track is one of the heaviest I have heard this year. It has a volatile nature to it where it can explode any moment and it gives Thy Grave a very dangerous edge indeed. The drone aspect might be too much for some but if your feeling brave enough play this song at full blast to experience the full desired effect.

4th track – No Teeth (Terminator 2 Cover) – is an original song despite what the title says. It’s a 3:09 minute blast of heavy in your face Sludge/Punk Metal riffs played at a faster pace. But it still maintains its dangerous edge from the earlier tracks.

5th track – is an unexpected surprise. Since they recruited Primus on vocals for Haudan. It’s only right that Thy Grave do a cover of a Loinen track. And they do. Liha. A brilliant cover that Thy Grave actually make their own. It’s full of more epic Sludge/Drone/Doom Metal riffs which has a volatile vibe to them. You can feel the bass and drumming finally ebbing at the last remaining pieces of your soul and humanity.

Now we come to the final song on the album – The 14 minute epic title track – Anhedonia. A track that is probably the best track on the album. It features more of the same excellent riffs that have came before it but done at a more restrained pace so you can feel the full force and power of Thy Grave.

So that is the album for you laid out. I don’t know if I have done a good enough job explaining how loud and powerful this album really is. It can be considered one of the loudest I have heard this year. It is an experience like no other.

I don’t know when Anhedonia will be released as the band are looking for a label to release it. If there, are any interested parties then please get in touch with the band as they have a ready-made masterpiece of extreme metal waiting to be released.

Brilliant. End Of.

Thanks to the guys for sending me a copy to review. Much appreciated.

Check The Band From The Links Below

BandCamp - where you can listen to the excellent track Haudan