Mithras Worlds Beyond The Veil
Golden Lake Productions GOLDCD013 2003
By Paddy Walsh
Mithras are a death metal band from England. You may or may not have heard their first album "Forever Advancing Legions", and if you did you would know that it was an above average collection of brutal death metal tracks, with a very distinct Azagthothian influence, particularly in the solos. "Worlds Beyond The Veil" is a far more delectable proposition, for despite being another death metal album in the vein of its predecessor, it has a veritable uniqueness about it that could easily be written off as blatant Morbid Angel worship upon early listening.
"Worlds Beyond The Veil" possesses an ethereal, organic quality, achieved through strange production and liberal use of trance-like solos, that, as previously stated, come squarely from the Azagthoth school of that particular discipline. Some might find the production initially prohibitive, not really having a loud sound at all, with the rhythm guitars sounding particularly strange and even lacking bite in places, but the earthy nature of the soloing actually means the production works in its favour. With the leads given much room to breathe, in places they are truly breathtaking. For proof check out the solo(s) in Psyrens, as it flies along at an inhuman pace with the solos making it sound positively dreamlike.
That the lead work on this album is the star of the show is not to say that the rhythm section doesnt also have its moments. Check out the awesome opening riff on They Came and You Were Silent, or the brilliant instrumental The Sands of Time. The vocals are a mixed bag, sometimes sounding very convincing and with great conviction, but at others being a trite lacklustre. The 13 minute closer Beyond the Eyes of Man has the best vocal work of the lot, with a varied use of growling and rasping really adding to the desired atmosphere.
Overall, this is a thoroughly enjoyable death metal album. Not overly brutal, it contains a certain psychedelic atmosphere that I have never before heard on something of this genre. If you must have a pigeonhole, then think of "Worlds Beyond the Veil" as the product of Morbid Angel on magic mushrooms. If this sounds appealing to you (and it sure as hell does to me), then you simply cannot go wrong. Mithras are a band who could possibly produce a masterpiece in the future (and their recent signing to Candlelight bodes very well indeed), but until then this will do nicely.
8.5/10
Official Mithras Website
Official Golden Lake Productions Website
Golden Lake Productions GOLDCD013 2003
By Paddy Walsh
Mithras are a death metal band from England. You may or may not have heard their first album "Forever Advancing Legions", and if you did you would know that it was an above average collection of brutal death metal tracks, with a very distinct Azagthothian influence, particularly in the solos. "Worlds Beyond The Veil" is a far more delectable proposition, for despite being another death metal album in the vein of its predecessor, it has a veritable uniqueness about it that could easily be written off as blatant Morbid Angel worship upon early listening.
"Worlds Beyond The Veil" possesses an ethereal, organic quality, achieved through strange production and liberal use of trance-like solos, that, as previously stated, come squarely from the Azagthoth school of that particular discipline. Some might find the production initially prohibitive, not really having a loud sound at all, with the rhythm guitars sounding particularly strange and even lacking bite in places, but the earthy nature of the soloing actually means the production works in its favour. With the leads given much room to breathe, in places they are truly breathtaking. For proof check out the solo(s) in Psyrens, as it flies along at an inhuman pace with the solos making it sound positively dreamlike.
That the lead work on this album is the star of the show is not to say that the rhythm section doesnt also have its moments. Check out the awesome opening riff on They Came and You Were Silent, or the brilliant instrumental The Sands of Time. The vocals are a mixed bag, sometimes sounding very convincing and with great conviction, but at others being a trite lacklustre. The 13 minute closer Beyond the Eyes of Man has the best vocal work of the lot, with a varied use of growling and rasping really adding to the desired atmosphere.
Overall, this is a thoroughly enjoyable death metal album. Not overly brutal, it contains a certain psychedelic atmosphere that I have never before heard on something of this genre. If you must have a pigeonhole, then think of "Worlds Beyond the Veil" as the product of Morbid Angel on magic mushrooms. If this sounds appealing to you (and it sure as hell does to me), then you simply cannot go wrong. Mithras are a band who could possibly produce a masterpiece in the future (and their recent signing to Candlelight bodes very well indeed), but until then this will do nicely.
8.5/10
Official Mithras Website
Official Golden Lake Productions Website
