Mithras – Behind the Shadows Lie Madness
Candlelight Records – CDL0162 – June 5, 2007
By Jason Jordan
In spite of the continual likening of
Mithras to
Morbid Angel – a warranted comparison, actually – there’s none quite like the former since the band injected cosmic elements into their sound. While they may not be alone in the clout department as several units such as
Vader,
Martriden, and others are no less beefy, which is partially due to production, there’s an unshakable space-y vibe to
Behind the Shadows Lie Madness that rarely finds its way into anything other than progressive(-related) metal. Though their debut
Forever Advancing…Legions is a solid outing by and large, and though the copycatting has supposedly not disappeared, this is certainly a step above
FAL. Unfortunately, I’ve still to encounter
Worlds Beyond the Veil.
On
Behind the Shadows Lie Madness, the duo consisting of Rayner Coss (vocals, bass) and Leon Macey (guitars, drums) offer 12 tracks that total approximately 45 minutes. Since
Mithras’s death metal is overly pummeling and at times galloping in nature, an hour’s worth of material would be overkill. In other words, for this style, 45 minutes or less is an optimal length. As evidenced by this album and albums past, the amount of talent these individuals possess is otherworldly, like their collective sound, and reminds one of Dave Suzuki (
Vital Remains), George Velaetis (
The Chasm,
Darkness Eternal), et al – musicians who can play two or more instruments with éclat.
‘To Fall from the Heavens,’ besides the requisite introduction in
‘The Journey and the Forsaken,’ isn’t the strongest opener as a result of its stop/start patterns and subpar clean vocals, which thankfully don't return. Nonetheless, the blasting is difficult to resist, as are the unique guitar tones, and the band steamroller the listener with numbers like
‘Under the Three Spheres,’ ‘Into Black Holes of Oblivion,’ ‘Behind the Shadows,’ etc., etc., etc. It seems, though, that I’m always skipping interludes
‘When the Light Fades Away,’ ‘The Beacon Beckons,’ and
‘Into the Unknown’ to reach the actual meat. Some may claim those function as breathers between the heavy-hitters, but I’m sure many could live without ‘em.
Composition-wise, this U.K. outfit don’t shy away from slightly pausing in order to shift gears, and that fact may irk the picky. Even so, with Seagrave art, grade A musicianship, very good songwriting, and a stout production,
Mithras’s
Behind the Shadows Lie Madness falls just short of being a must-buy release, but gets pretty damn near close. There’s just an unidentifiable aspect missing that prevents me from calling this essential.
Official Mithras Website
Official Candlelight Records Website
