A major influence directly from early In flames and some of Kalmah‘s brisk fare, ThermalityThe second outing from contains a whopping 55 minutes of fat riffs, snappy guitar melodies, driving rhythms and throaty rasps. These thirteen tracks exude a high level of Gothenburg aura and give the overwhelming majority of the songs more than enough momentum. Thermality‘s material. As a recording, The last hours calls a clear Ether Realm-esque character, storytelling in both the musical composition and the lyrical content is of the highest priority. For ThermalityThis strategy works very well. If nothing else, then composing The last hours the way they’ve done this shows that the band fully understand their credentials, that they know how to write with a rapidly evolving voice in a deeply established area, and that they deliver it with an elegance and aplomb that belies their young age.
The difficult thing about writing a long, story-driven record in this style is making sure that all of the content is strong enough to keep my interest and attention as a listener. Thermality do an admirable job, but miss the landing by a small margin. While early tracks like “Weeping Angels” and “Stranger” hit harder with galloping riffs and lively grooves, the record passes by rather forgettable until “Nightfall”. Since each song ends after about four minutes, I am stuck in a kind of rut, waiting for The last hours to lock me up for about thirty minutes. It is a long wait. To make matters worse, ThermalityThe singer sounds tense and raw. He manages to hold himself together throughout, but I was worried that his technique here might lead to injury before it improved. In this case, it was difficult to approach the record in the way I would have liked.
Despite it, ThermalityThe strength of as a songwriter is shown in The last hour‘s best offerings. Album highlight duo “Nightfall” and “The Hunter and the Nightmare” use eerie, ethereal synth work to great effect as an introductory hook that leads directly into some of the record’s strongest guitar lines. Meanwhile, the latter song makes great use of Beethoven‘s “Symphony No. 5” for a classic twist on solos and lead melodies, and then uses these cribs as a vehicle for buttery smooth transitions back to the original material. The aforementioned early star “Stranger” marks the high point of the first half and impresses with an excellent synergy between core theme, lead melody and exuberant percussion. These musical cohorts are not only well-coordinated, but also quite memorable despite – or perhaps because of – their compositional straightforwardness. On a larger scale, The last hour is not the most memorable record, but it is entertaining in the moment. Aside from proving the potential of these young artists, this record shows through its reliable joy the hard work and care that Thermality into their craft. This dedication alone deserves respect.
The last hours is just the beginning for Thermality. Talented but experienced, young but sophisticated, passionate but thoughtful, they have already developed a comprehensive understanding of who they are and what they want their music to sound like. What follows is simply a matter of dynamics. The last hours itself didn’t impress me as much as higher rated records I’ve covered. However, the band has caught my full attention after creating such a professional sounding piece of work at such an early stage. I’m very excited to see how they continue to develop and improve. The last hours are on the verge of a bright new era for Thermality.
Reviews: Mixed (not derogatory)
DR: 7 | Verified format: 320 kb/s mp3
label: Black Lodge Records
website: facebook.com/thermality | thermality.bandcamp.com
Worldwide publications: 16 August 2024
