Louisiana sludge/doom merchants Thou first came to my attention with their collaboration with Emma Ruth Rundle, May Our Chambers Be Full. There is no doubt the dalliance with Emma encouraged me to be more accepting of their particular line in ultra heavy sludge. Vocalist Bryan Funck’s scathing screech is certainly something of a deal breaker for some, but the mix kept him at bay, balanced out by Emma’s beautiful tones. I’d explore their Nirvana cover version album which definitely paved the way for being enticed by their sixth studio album of original tracks, Umbilical.
Recorded and mixed at Hightower Recording by James Whitten, the sound of this album is absolutely huge throughout. Opening with ‘Narcissist’s Prayer’, the gargantuan riff tumbles with the drums like two mammoths wrestling down a mountain, yet it’s oddly pleasing and actually quite groovy. I don’t think I’ve heard guitars sound so heavy and booming, you really feel the physicality of the music. Andy Gibbs, Matthew Thudium and KC Stafford sure know how to conjure up a thick mix of superheavy sludge. When Funck starts to scream “it’s time to die” at the end your quaked bowels will be ready to shatter.
Mitch Wells’ bass on ‘Emotional Terrorist’ has an incredible depth and deathly rattle as the grinding guitars move mountains. Thou somehow manage to seep melody into this brutal noise and none more so in what I think technically constitutes a memorable chorus. ‘Lonely Vigil’ slows the pace down with a monolithic riff and slamming beats courtesy of drummer Tyler Coburn.
‘House of Ideas’ feels like thrash metal after the previous track, hurtling along on twisted riffs that are on the verge of completely derailing this out of control freight train. When the crushing mid-section drops the tempo it’s like a wrecking ball taking out buildings. The guitars build up to a volcanic-sized eruption of a solo that is truly one of the mightiest passages of music I have ever heard. It is fucking colossal. ‘I Feel Nothing When You Cry’ appears to be something of a gentle song title, until you realise the sentiment is anything but. The track is absolutely blistering with seismic swathes of guitar mixing with a massive blizzard of drums. Barely taking time to breathe Funck indecipherably sneers with the rage of a dozen demons.
‘Unbidden Guest’ has an almost catchy riff like a manic ferocious dog chasing its own tail. Once again, Thou blend the most aggressive beastly sounds with little shots of melody. Coburn’s drums take off with what sounds like ten drummers thumping the living fuck out of their kits. ‘I Return as Chained and Bound to You’ has some big grinding riffs that churn with sickening levels of sludge, asphyxiating the listener in a quagmire of noise. If you’re listening to the album in one sitting, it’s around this point that you may feel suffocated with the sheer volumes and intensity of the music. Halfway through the song drops down to virtually clean guitars and finally Coburn’s drumming takes a wee moment to catch up. A much-needed oasis of calm amid the storm.
‘The Promise’ chokes up the elongated riffing into a punky thrash, and once again there’s a clear melody trying to emerge. If you wanted to introduce someone to the music of Thou, this might be the gateway. It aligns itself with some of their cover versions, whereupon familiar songs get the Thou treatment to sound fuck all like the original. Coburn breaks free with an insane drum solo while the ghost of Kurt Cobain drops by with a vile feedback screech or three. ‘Panic Stricken, I Flee’ bounds along on a snarling riff that by Thou’s standards, is actually pretty upbeat. Under the choppy riff Coburn cracks out some snare-splatteringly splendid beats. When you are presented with music this heavy, it’s always nice to encounter any semblance of melody and the solo in this track is pure bliss. It reminds me of the kind of licks Duane Denison used to drop with ease.
Finally ‘Siege Perilous’ ends the album with another slow paced doom dirge that aims to drag the listener into the particular hell from which it was spawned. This is a reminder that Thou have no interest in crossing over, despite numerous cover version albums and collaborations with more acceptable artists. As deafening feedback starts to permeate the mix the final moments of the album serve up the vilest tones Thou can summon.
This album is not an easy listen. Fans of the band will already be well prepped and will enjoy (if that’s the right word?) this superb collection of new material. The music is seriously uncompromising and never really lets up once it takes hold of you. But listening to it I came to the realisation that the reason I’m drawn to music this heavy, is because there is so much noise in my head from a plethora of outside influences. In a strange way, the intense noise of this music cancels out that noise leaving me feeling cleansed and more balanced. Having said that, this album pushed my tolerance limits to the edge of the abyss. Umbilical is one of the most brutal and heaviest records I have ever heard, but I highly recommend it.
