23/02/04

THUS DEFILED / WEEPING HOLOCAUST TEAR

I first heard of Thus Defiled in 1996 and was really taken with them in the interview I read Terrorizer no.28. It took me 8 years to find a CD Weeping Tears of Holocaust was in Kolobus catalogue. A long time I know but worth the wait! Because what I heard blew me away.

Some bands in Black Metal are able to give you the essence of what Black Metal is, its cold majestic beauty but very infrequently, I would suggest Burzum did it with Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Filosofem Satyricon did it with Nemesis Divina and Cradle it with Principals and maybe Vempire, of course Emperor did it with "Nightside", "Anthems", and "1X Equilibrium" , but noone has done it again until now.

This TRULY is a classic not just of it’s genre but of metal itself. The song to give you the best example of their true knowledge and style and craftsmanship is "the angel blood Chronicles" an epic song of 17 and ½ minutes but it remains a song with well crafted riffs yes you can hear them beautiful melodies dual guitar melodies and ending with a piano melody, they repeat this skill again and again and this is the point, others can’t Thus Defiled do and not only with this album. The song "of Shadow and storm" has the best guitar leads this side of a Maiden album the way they take the song in the final minutes and whisk it away is truly breathtaking. Take a band like Dissection fantastic album Storm of the lights bane with stand out songs yet all Thus Defiled songs stand out "Weeping Tears of Holocaust" stands a classic along side the afore mentioned Dissection album.

Thus Defiled are THE BEST BLACK METAL BAND IN THE WORLD TODAY!!!!

ARATHORN

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 42 mims + 6 TRACKS

THUS DEFILED / A DARKER BEAUTY EP

I have only written to 2 bands in my life Ozzy when I was a kid and Pitchshifter when they erm shifted their style following the classic desensitized album. But I had to write to Thus Defiled and order MORE I received a EP called a darker beauty and another album that I haven’t had time to digest to review yet but rest assured another classic from 1996, The EP stands on its own well produced uncluttered with again the "Classy" playing that has been said about them. The track A darker Beauty is a particular favorite it descends at one point into a bit of chaos then glides free on classy guitar melodies. The Haunting presence of Keyboards is there occasionally but used in such a way that they contribute to the record never take over.

I intend to be a one man promoter of Thus Defiled. (Not possible, I’m with you on this one, Justin Case) Editor.

ARATHORN

TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 22 mins + 3 TRACKS