Release Date- 1 st July 2022
Label - Eat Lead and Die Music
Words- Chris Fletcher
Emerging as an offshoot of progressive death/doom proponents Bull Elephant, international metal collective Thun are back with their second slab of groove-laden heavy goodness. Members of Monsterworks and Gargoyl are joined by Karl Sanders of Nile, who offers his talents as guest lead guitarist on a record which delivers seven tracks showcasing an accomplished fusion of dissonant death metal with hulking doom riffs.
Opening track ‘Where All Truths Lie’ sets the stall out early, mixing a mammoth-sized riff with wailing lead guitar lines over Jon Higgs’ death metal growls, bringing the right level of extremity to proceedings whilst also managing to be completely audible. Third track ‘Kiss The Ground’ mixes things up with a mellower intro before displaying the band's obvious Black Sabbath influences. Think ‘Fairies Wear Boots’ with a death metal underpinning and you’re on the right track.
From here, ‘I Have Failed You’ takes things up a notch and picks up the pace further. Kicking you in the face with blast-beats before another change of pace on ‘Completely’ - which is a mostly acoustic interlude - the band show that they have more strings to their bow. Closing track ‘Final Cut’, whilst the longest on the record, even manages to throw in a little psychedelic flair before sending you on your way.
In terms of the production, this album really hits the mark. Although the record is a virtual effort, with all members recording their parts separately before sending them for mixing, the band have managed to somehow capture a live feel on some of these tracks which really works with the doomy atmosphere created. A particular standout is the snare drum being so high in the mix, as it gives things a real driving sense which competes well with Karl Sanders’ lead guitar, which is the real MVP here.
Overall this is a quality blend of death and doom which, despite the amount going on, never feels out of control or messy. Thun are able to update that Sabbath doom sound with a modern extreme flair which at less than forty minutes in length offers great repeatability. Get lost in the groove.
8/10.
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