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THY FLESH
Thymiama Mannan

Odium (2014)
Rating: 8.5/10

Greek metallers Thy Flesh are relatively new to me. Thymiama Mannan is their debut album, but it’s taken a long time to emerge considering these guys originally formed ten years ago. However, following the release of a demo, Concept For The Devil, in 2004 the band split-up just a year later, and did not officially reform until 2011.

Thy Flesh are a trio of musicians – namely, The Cloven Hoof (vocals / guitars, Haemophillus (bass) and Athan (drums) – and the music they create is an infectious mix of ashen black metal, pallid death metal and a sprig of thrash. Thymiama Mannan is inspired by the Ritual Poetry book written by Athan, who is the sole surviving founding member of the band.

Far from being formulaic in its approach, this seven-track affair is quite riveting and appears as a record of many depths, exploring esoteric topics by way of remote, smothered vocal rasps and gothic orchestration played out via scathing yet accessible guitars and peculiar atmospherics with sinister relations. Despite its meanderings, Thy Flesh maintain a very evil, black metal feel throughout. The riffs on offer are as catchy as hell though, at times reminding me of Norwegian band Tulus in their icy experimentation.

With those obscure lyrics and cavernous echoes Thymiama Mannan has an air of arrogance about it, hinting at some of Voivod’s thermonuclear practices combined with the fierce passion of, say, Immortal. The menace is immediately apparent from the opening title track with its doom-laden orchestration and icy climate, but the real star of the show is The Cloven Hoof whose vocals are enough to chill any spine and shatter it into a thousand pieces.

‘Final Nights’ enters on a cutting chord and avalanche of drums; the track is a straightforward black metal spit of venom where The Cloven Hoof belches, “As I enter the temple of shapes, Image turns upside down, All I did was to enter, Now they move by themselves, Inverted Saint ignites, Cremation of the Final Nights” with innermost conviction, evoking weird images of peculiar architecture and hidden secrets.

‘Final Nights’ is simply effective as a black metal track, but it’s only one arrow in a bulging quiver as ‘Rape Magic’ begins like an occult rock spectacular – with a 70s influence it makes Ghost B.C. pale in comparison. The riff jars as the track proceeds with that juddering drum, and a killer solo which cuts through the night. The Cloven Hoof prepares us for the ceremony, rasping “The ritual begins in darkness…” through a wave of percussion and snarling Voivod-esque chords.

As the grotesque ‘Bloodsong’ gives way to the haunting ‘Temple Of Absinth’, though, I feel like I’ve stepped into the halls of some esoteric order and await my own sacrifice. ‘Silver Tongue Devil’ is immense, a pounding golem of a track that runs over seven minutes and leaves the audience frozen in its wake. Lyrically it’s ominous as expected, leering down upon us fools as if it were a wolf picking the weakling from the flock of sheep.

In its aggression and arrogance, Thy Flesh’s debut platter succeeds with ease. It’s a truly mesmerising opus that feels as grandiose as any marble hall or rich tapestry, and yet within its layers there are those hellish undercurrents. As the piano-led closer ‘Extremity Unbound’ leads us away like a frightened child, The Cloven Hoof is keen to tell us via eerie whisper that there is “No peace… The New Bible will come, Between incense and bullets, Cutting rapidly through the age of schizophrenia, I declare this, by blackest sun: Knights and fools aren’t we all?”.

Be afraid… be very afraid, because Thy Flesh – although being the new kids on the block – are keen to find their territory, and with Thymiama Mannan they may well have just released one of 2014’s best albums.

Neil Arnold

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