It’s been 4 years since Mithras‘ stunning last album, Behind the Shadows Lie Madness, so rather than prolong the agony, the guys have dropped this quick little EP. Two new tracks and three live songs. Not a ton of material, but Mithras doesn’t just write songs – they write galaxy-destroying, mind-warping, all-consuming astral death metal odysseys, so I guess it’s okay.
“Time Never Lasts” is my favorite of the two. It starts simply enough, built around progressively climbing scales set to an endless jackhammer barrage of percussion. It doesn’t take long for the song to mutate into more complex, geometric and punishing forms, yet it always maintains a cogent forward momentum. As always, the real treat for me is the shimmering cosmic tone from guitarist Leon Macey. (Also be sure to check out UK death/thrash act Scythian‘s 2009 release To Those Who Stand Against Us, which Macey mixed/mastered – you’ll hear more of that awesome, kaleidoscopic guitar tone in there.) “Inside the Godmind” is a more chaotic, brutal journey, shot through with more of Macey’s rippling effects. The highlight here is the massive, lumbering second half, which finally devolves into a cacophony of echoes from deep space.
The live tracks were recorded at a London gig back in 2008: “Tomb of Kings” and “Wrath of God”, off of Forever Advancing… Legions, and “Beyond the Eyes of Man,” from Worlds Beyond the Veil. The earlier tracks were less melodic to begin with, so it’s not surprising that live, you mostly just hear drums and growling, with the guitars buried beneath. “Eyes of Man” fares better, with its vaguely Egyptian-sounding melodies riding much higher in the mix. I’m not really a fan of live albums, but this last track at least makes me want to see Mithras if they ever come around stateside.
The real attraction here is the new material. Wish there would have been a couple more tracks instead of the live stuff, but they’re a good teaser for the next full-length, which drops in September. And if you really can’t wait until then, just remember: time never uh, yeah.
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Jesus, I remember Beyond The Shadows, we played the shit out of it on my old radio show.
on Jan 27th, 2012 at 10:43its a shame these guys took so much time off, they were right there as far as tech death elite, then Gorod, Decrepit Birth, etc just blew up and Mithras didnt release anything after 2007 til now.
on Jan 27th, 2012 at 13:19