Here's a little curiosity piece from the folks over at Cruz Del Sur, the latest album from the UK duo known as Lethean, The Waters of Death. Featuring vocalist Thumri Paavana and multi-instrumentalist James Ashbey, these two create a pretty big wall of heavy metal sound, part doom, part classic early '80s metal, and though the album contains just six tracks there's just over 40-minutes of music here to dig into. Ashbey is no stranger to the metal scene, having played with a few bands, notably doom act Solstice, and that style from his former band permeates much of The Waters of Death, with also a nod to labelmates Atlantean Kodex in spots, but it's the presence of Paavana who is the wild card here, her angelic, emotional and at times near operatic vocals take the music of Lethean into waters we don't normally see epic/doom acts go. At times, there's a feel of Mandylion era The Gathering, but those are just fleeting glimpses, as these two clearly are going for something completely different here. "Seafarer" is a joy, melancholy and moody but with plenty of doom laden riffing to support Paavana's lovely vocals, and it's her tender side along with some gorgeous acoustic guitar that lead the listener into the eventual bombast of "In Darkness Veiled". Rumbling drums and thick, heavy riffs drive the uptempo "Time and the Gods", "Across Grey Waters" settles into a more tranquil abyss, while the closer "Devouring Fire" unleashes a barrage of doom and prog, ending things here on a real high note.
Lovely female vocals and epic classic metal arrangements make for a fantastic pairing here on Lethean's debut, so make sure you don't miss out on The Waters of Death.
Track Listing
1. Idylls Of The King
2. Seafarer
3. In Darkness Veiled
4. Time And The Gods
5. Across Grey Waters
6. Devouring Fire
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