This is the first full release from Vex who are from the USA. Dark Metal is the description I’d give to “Thanatopsis”. Beyond that there are no rules of genre. It’s very noticeable that the emphasis is on quality rather than sticking to a particular typecast. I very much liked the deep vein old style which runs through it. It’s quite ominous in its tone and puts the band’s stamp on some well thought-out Metal structures.
The opener is a rolling and deliberately dark instrumental track as it heads into the second track “Motionless”, it’s hard to get away from a comparison with Opeth at this point. There’s an air of melodic Death Metal majesty about it as you would find on “My Arms, Your Hearse”, “Blackwater Park” and so on. Yet it starts in a Black Metal style. “Apocalyptic Dream” turns into speedy and aggressive Death Metal, not especially original, but rousing. If it’s not dark enough already, the track slows down to introduce a Doom section with guitars ringing menacingly. “Eyes of Wrath” returns momentarily to Black Metal, before settling into a Blackened Death gallop. Each passage is allowed to develop as it does here before changing direction again and opening up a piece of death Metal of the harsher variety. I only started to lose interest mid-way through the fifth track “Erosion”, which begins as a piece of spitting Death/Black Metal but it then slows down and hangs around before ramping up again. An air of mystery and intrigue arise out of conventional roots. A dark spoken section, reminiscent of The Prophecy (the Yorkshire version), is impressive and by the time we return to grizzly and harsh tones of death at the end, we’ve most certainly had our money’s worth. “Era of Delusion” starts out in the tone of melodic Death Metal, and as is typical of this album, changes in style with the flow of the track. This time it’s Immortal-style Black Metal with guitar virtuosity. It then slows down and takes us into a section of pomp and majesty. A wandering guitar solo and some controlled melodic Death Metal complete the picture. “The Past is Frozen” is the final track and again covers a multitude of elements. Progression and Progressiveness can be detected in the superb guitar solo, the sweeping passage and the quiet and reflective segments. It’s heavy, then the singer takes over to the accompaniment of serenading Metal guitars. “The Past is Frozen” captures the range of directions and styles as much as any track on this album.
Vex refer to a “dynamic Death Metal that channels the archaic energy of Extreme Metal”. With its twists and turns, dark melodic passages, blackness, doomy and aggressive sections, “Thanatopsis” is full of interest and deserves, at least in my opinion, to be listened to.
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