Mithras - Time Never Lasts EP (2011)

One of the better acts to follow in the footsteps of Floridian pioneers Morbid Angel and expand their cosmic bludgeoning to new levels of astral atrocity, England's Mithras has thus far stormed through the 21st century with a trio of great albums. I'm more a proponent for their atmospheric works Worlds Beyond the Veil and Behind the Shadows Lie Madness than their more crushing debut, but they've been deservedly gaining ground for a decade now. Fans might have grown a bit eager in the four years since Behind the Shadows..., so they've decided to temporarily sate that restlessness with a few 'filler' releases, last year's demo compilation Sands of Time and now this EP of teaser tracks and live material.

The two new cuts are "Time Never Lasts" and "Inside the Godmind", and they essentially follow the band's penchant for jerking, twisting rhythmic variation and punishment, graced with an otherworldly, almost jazz-based melodic disposition. "Time Never Lasts" is the more punchy and primal of the pair, with new front man Rayner's vocals not unlike the blunt depth of a David Vincent, Steve Tucker or Piotr Paweł Wiwczarek (Vader). The fragile, resonant bridge of this song is impressive, with a lot of spacey guitars wrought through periods of calm and intensity. "Inside the Godmind" has an eerie into redolent of Deathrow's "Watching the World", at least until the bass thuds forward to the churning, dissonant blast beat, and one gets the impression here that he or she is being swarmed by vacuum-bred insects while bearing witness to the birth and death of pulsars and nebula. It's gorgeous and irritating simultaneously...

The live cuts are quite polished, and though the bass is rather subdued you can hear the drums, vocals and guitars clearly. Two are drawn from the debut Forever Advancing...Legions ("Tomb of Kings", "Wrath of God") but they close the EP with "Beyond the Eyes of Man" from their last album, and it's a spectacle of the band's taut musicianship and extraterrestrial splendor. Unlike many other live albums or EPs like this one, none of the three cuts feel as if they were just tacked on or throwaways. No, more of a proof that the band can do on stage nearly what they can do in studio, and combined with the solid new tunes, Time Never Lasts becomes something the band's fans might want to seek out despite its brevity.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.mithras.org.uk/

Mithras - Behind the Shadows Lie Madness (2007)

Mithras have steadily evolved into one of England's best death metal acts, and this 3rd album is their most promising to date. It picks up where Worlds Beyond the Veil left off, brutal and quickening death akin to Morbid Angel, yet tempered in progressive structures, tasteful synthesizers and a cosmic/occult/metaphysical theme which gets spacey enough to leave this influence well behind in Florida.

The synth driven instrumental "The Journey and the Forsaken" immediately casts the mood to this piece, its simple tones elevate the senses to an astral space where surreal and alien forms menace and astound (sort of like the cover of the album.) Following this is "To Fall from the Heavens", which highlights one of this band's strengths: their ability to merge prog metal guitar riffing with blast beats and create a brutal hypnosis. In addition to the expected grunting vocals, they add some beefy cleans to create a fragmenting, explosive effect. "Under the Three Spheres" is blistering and beautiful, Sam Bean's brutal throat anchoring a frenetic and calculated balance of hyper melodies and thrusting percussion. The majority of the album is astounding, but if I had to pick a few standout tracks I really enjoyed the glory of "Behind the Shadows", the choppy and expressive "Thrown Upon the Waves", and the neck stamping "Awaken Man and Stone" with its winding rhythms. There are also some additional. synth pieces like "Into the Unknown", "The Beacon Beckons" and the excellent "When the Light Fades Away" which round out the experience. The lyrics aren't perfect, but adequately capture the haunting, longing cosmic themes surrounding the songs, rooted in Lovecraft and various mythologies.

This world fades
Chaos is born
For I am that
Which fell from the heavens
I have come
Forever more
To eat of this world
For I am of the abyss

Needless to say the album sounds fantastic, the band makes excellent use of their synth tones and guitar effects to dazzle the listener amidst the pummelling of the drums and grinding rhythm guitars. The vocals are blunt and effective and it's the type of album you surely want ot sit down and listen through in its entirety. I highly recommend this title when you're reading some sci fiction or engaging in an online game like EVE Online or something where the vastness of space occupies much of your time in between interactions.

This is a killer release and Mithras are one of the most promising death metal outfits from the Empire.

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10] (over the edge of the world)

http://www.mithras.org.uk/