Louisiana-based experimental doom metal group
Thou typically follow their full-length releases with EPs of leftover material. When they prepared to release their fifth album,
Magus, they opted to do something different. Leading up to the release of the album, they recorded three EPs, each of which explored a different facet of their sound. The House Primordial was brutal, noisy, and uncompromising, and in line with the group's collaborations with
the Body. Inconsolable, on the other hand, consisted of bleak, haunting folk/post-rock songs which fell somewhere in between
the Angels of Light and some of the more song-oriented Constellation Records artists. The third EP,
Rhea Sylvia, is dedicated to the group's '90s alternative metal and grunge influences, particularly
Alice in Chains, whom they've covered on at least one prior occasion.
Thou have no trouble incorporating cleanly sung vocals and more melodic, chiming guitars with their usual shrieking and piercing feedback, and songs like "The Only Law" and "Deepest Sun" sound almost exactly like
AiC -- only the black metal-style growling keeps them from fitting in perfectly with the heavier end of modern rock radio. The somewhat rustic "Restless River" nestles some acoustic guitars in its center and features a more complex rhythmic structure than some of the other tracks, making for an intelligent, inventive grunge/sludge hybrid. The eight-minute "Unfortunate Times" leans closer to doom metal, but there's still a touch of grunge's world-weariness to the song's guitar foundation. The EP ends with a cover of
Crowbar's "The Lasting Dose," which somehow manages to have a brighter, more optimistic-sounding melody than the other songs.
Rhea Sylvia is one of
Thou's more accessible offerings, but it's no less boundary-pushing, and it makes a welcome, fitting addition to the group's catalog. ~ Paul Simpson