Thumos: Symposium

Strike while the iron is hot they say, and in the case of US progressive post-metal outfit Thumos, the iron is white with heat. A superb debut, The Republic, arrived in January of 2022, quickly followed some six months later by an excellent full length collaboration with spaceseer titled The Course Of Empire. Sticking to that near twice annually schedule, Symposium is now unleashed to ensure that not only is the band continuing to stay in the forefront of everyone’s minds, but that Thumos are, more importantly, maintaining their heady high standards.

Even though this outfit have now released three albums in just over a year, and a few shorter efforts thrown in for good measure, Thumos have still had time for evolution, but here they are stretching out into areas that we might not expect. Some deeply ingrained but scarcely revealed 80s influences coming through with much of the melody that underpins the likes of “Eryxmimachus� (the album is based round Plato’s famous dialogue on the god of love, Eros) with the lightness given a gothic touch that wasn’t fully evident in the band’s previous output.

The complexity of “Aristophanes� comes as a fully formed howl and swirl of emotion - clean, clear guitar lines offering the path through grinding riffs and ponderously powerful drums, and as it does so ensuring that the vocal-less sounds still have a real narrative and direction. “Phaedrus� sets the album’s scene, with an orchestral piece revealing one of this band’s main strengths - patience. Only one track of the eight presented falls below the five minute mark and Thumos fully understand how immoveable those foundations become, building slowly from there and ensuring that the end result is an impenetrably imposing construction that will stand tall and proud for years to come. Impressively, the standard never drops, with the sweep of “Pausanius� leaving you no choice but to become immersed in the onslaught, while “Alcibiades� - the longest track at just over ten minutes - closes proceedings out on a bombastic footing, swirls of orchestration raising the pummelling beats and gyrating guitars to dramatic heights.

I have no hesitation in saying that if doom laden, but melodically inclined progressive post rock is anywhere on your radar, then Thumos undoubtedly need to be right at its centre.

Track Listing
1. Phaedrus
2. Pausanius
3. Eryximachus
4. Aristophanes
5. Agathon
6. Socrates
7. Diotima
8. Alcibiades

Added: February 13th 2023
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Thomus @ bandcamp
Hits: 1006
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]