"Who Manifest" EP REVIEWS 2009

[STEVE NICHOLSON]

These Are They - Who Manifest
(The End Records, 2009)

Although “Who Manifest” is These Are They’s The End Records debut, this doom/death outfit is no stranger to its new label. Members Paul Kuhr and Steve Nicholson played in the well-respected Novembers Doom, which released multiple albums on The End. These Are They also includes Michael LeGros, who played in Disinter—another doom-filled death act from Middle America of considerable impact.

For hardcore doom metal addicts who craved the depressive, colossal doom metal sound of Novembers Doom will revel in “Who Manifest.” Keeping with the tradition of epic doom metal, These Are They churned out three tracks with an average time of over six-minutes per track. Massive, gravelly riffs set a diabolic tone to “Birth rite of the Saternine.” “In the Halls of Waverly” stays at the languid pace of the prior track, but transitions to hulking, burlesque rhythms of the type carved out by Unleashed and Grave. Considering the current multinational flue crisis, the band’s release of this track has an eerie synchronicity.

“The Indweller” is the most upbeat track on the album. The main rhythm on this track reminds of when traditional down tempo acts such as Candlemass and Celtic Frost kick up the pace. “The Indweller” is also the most diverse track. These Are They often change the rhythm and the pace, taking the track through various stages. Near the end of the track, the action comes to a standstill, setting the stage for Kuhr’s vocal metamorphosis from gruff growls to mystifying clean-vocal narrations.

The drone, sludge and funeral doom bands of today’s doom scene often overshadow the type of doom/death played by These Are They. The End Records deserves praise for unveiling what is sure to be a powerful force in doom metal. “Who Manifest” is only a small taste, expect These Are They’s first full length to be a monumental doom metal opus.

Darren Cowan




http://www.metal-mayhem.co.uk/reviews/thesearethey.shtml

 

[Jasonic]

Congrats!! Nice review.
Well written too, which doesn't come easy these days, esp with the number of yahoos writing them online.

 

[Novembers Paul]

Doom metal...

 

[FearSore]

"Although “Who Manifest” is These Are They’s The End Records debut, this doom/death outfit is .... doom-filled death ....

For hardcore doom metal addicts who craved the depressive, colossal doom metal sound ...... epic doom metal...

......traditional down tempo......

The drone, sludge and funeral doom bands of today’s doom scene often overshadow the type of doom/death played by These Are They. “Who Manifest” is only a small taste, expect These Are They’s first full length to be a monumental doom metal opus." HAHAHAHA

 

[STEVE NICHOLSON]

Any press is good press. I just don't want everyone to be surprised that TAT is NOT an all out Doom Band. I think we are Heavy Metal with Death, Doom and Thrash overtones. DDT Metal. Ha.
I want to use all of my favorite influences in what we write, and the Full Length will show some of that.
But for you Doom Metal freaks, "Birthright of the Saturnine" from the EP harkens back to the "Amid" days for sure.

 

[STEVE NICHOLSON]

PLANET LOUD SAYS.....
Reunions can be a funny old business, but with Novembers Doom founders Paul Kuhr and Stephen Nicholson together again for the first time in over a decade, hopes are high for these Chicago stalwarts in their new venture These Are They. Along with Novembers Doom latest drummer Sasha Horn behind the kit and fellow Earthen collaborator Wiley Wells completing the line-up, this homage to the classic death metal of yore is packed with more hooks than a shipload of pirates and enough nostalgia to sate even the hungriest of veterans. If last year’s ‘Who Manifest’ EP is anything to go by, then the upcoming full length on The End Records should get the old school lovers banging their heads like it’s 1984; and their live debut at The End’s showcase gig at SXSW in Texas promises to be a real highlight of the legendary festival.
4-24-09

http://www.planet-loud.com/newbandprofile.php?newband_id=635

 

[FearSore]

It's true that this was a reunion for Paul and Steve. But rather than be a reunion to retread old glories and push old ideas, we got together to see what we could do now. We sat down at a local bar together (that seems so long ago) and came up with an idea of what we thought we would do, then when we started to write music something completely different reared it's head. I am quite pleased with the uniqueness of sound we have come up with, and cant wait to see where we go next. :zombie:

 

[Srontgorrth]

Ordered my copy today

 

[STEVE NICHOLSON]

STATIC MULTIMEDIA STATES:

Doom metal veterans Novembers Doom is one of the most successful bands to come out of the Chicago metal scene. Now, two original members, vocalist Paul Kuhr and Guitarist Steve Nicholson, have created a new death metal band, These are They, with the help of guitarist Michael LeGros, bassist Wiley Wells and drummer Evan Berry. Although this is not a complete departure, considering that there is a fair share of doom included in the three cuts, their recently released EP Who Manifest is pretty damn good.

If you were to classify These are They, they’re sort of a mix of Amon Amarth (without the Viking lyrics) and Moonspell with a definite touch of their counterpart Novembers Doom. Reason being is they have a sonic, meticulous and melodic death metal sound which few bands actually accomplish. As far as Moonspell is concerned, the comparison is justified simply because they have a similar sounding vocalist that covers some gothic themes. It also is nice to hear a vocalist that actually pronounces his lyrics - unlike the huge conglomerate of death metal bands on the scene today.

These are They have proved with their first EP that they could be a force to be reckoned in the metal scene. Musically, they are highly technical with blistering and memorable solos few can match. Their rhythm section is tight like a steel factory and can actually be heard - another difference in comparison to other death metal bands.

The only complaint, although some won't mind, is that they honestly don’t sound all that different from Novembers Doom. While the first track “The Indweller” and about half of the second track “In the Hills of Waverly” do have a full-on death metal feel to it, the other half of the EP is strictly doom. While there is hardly any integration of acoustic guitars - a Novembers Doom trademark, the sound is epic doom metal. The music is heavy as hell, slow, and long with all of the three tracks at least spanning a total of 6 minutes apiece.

If there is one thing I don’t understand about metal musicians, it's forming a new band that sound exactly the same as their previous one. This is the case with These are They’s debut EP Who Manifest. Don’t get me wrong though, this is spectacular stuff. It's far better than the majority of metal out there today. It just seems more like they replaced band members than they changed their sound.

Simon Mounsey

http://www.staticmultimedia.com/music/reviews/these_are_they_-_who_manifest

 

[STEVE NICHOLSON]

METAL - RULES SAYS:

WHO MANIFEST is the first EP from Chicago’s These Are They. It is three tracks of straight death metal.



There’s nothing new and exciting here, just tradition for a progressive world. Even then, these songs don’t contain anything memorable. Hooks are peppered throughout, but they don’t dig in; they don’t grip. Once WHO MANIFEST is over, there’s no urge to listen again. It’s not a bad collection of tunes, it’s just not interesting in 2009.



I’m going to shelve WHO MANIFEST, but if their LP should happen to drop in my lap later this year then I’ll check it out. It is my estimation that this EP was cranked out by the former members of Novembers Doom in an effort to create some buzz for These Are They.

Bruce Sanchez

 

[Novembers Paul]

We certainly won't please everyone with our more simplistic approach, but you can't deny the hook and heaviness. I've said this time and time again, I almost wish the EP never came out. It's not the best representation of the band. The "doomier" song is NOTHING like the full length. Just wait until you hear that to judge the band fully. It WILL kick your ass.

 

[BalanceofPower]

The heel to the balls soon follows that kick to the ass.

I hope this album does really well for you guys!

 

[Rycher]

Finally got a chance to listen to the EP, and I'm really enjoying it. I think my Bloodbath addiction that started last fall set me up for this style of death metal.

I'm really interested in hearing the full-length album, since this EP shows a lot of different sides of the band within three songs. Fast and slow riffs, doomy sections, death, growls, clean vocals. There's a lot of stuff jammed into 20 minutes of music!

Love the riffs on this EP. Waverly and The Indweller especially. I just had to search wikipedia until I came across the subject matter for Waverly's lyrics. Creepy stuff, and I love how it ties into the band's name, EP title and artwork.

Paul's vocals are huge - they just get better with every release I hear. Great job guys - can't wait to hear the full album!

 

[STEVE NICHOLSON]

Thanks Rycher. That's exactly our point. We include many different elements in our writing. Wait for the Album. I don't think we repeat ourselves hardly at all on these set of tunes. Totally opposite Riff styles, fast, slow, from creepy sounds to sonic devastation. Even with the band name, we can do any style we choose. These Are They means, this is the band. No matter what we play.

 

[Novembers Paul]

THESE ARE THEY "Who Manifest"

There’s this vision in my mind that doesn’t shake loose for a second when I listen to Chi-town death metal fiends These Are They roll out the three sludgy, down-tuned cuts on their debut EP: basically, I’m walking down the street minding my own business when the Gates of Hell open up beneath me and swallow me whole.

Featuring vocalist Paul Kuhr from Novembers Doom on Cookie Monster vocals, guitarist Stephen Nicholson formerly from Novembers Doom cranking out the licks and shadowy grooves, drummer Sasha Horn from Trials hammering away forcefully, and bassist William Wells from Earthen driving the bottom line even further beneath the crust, These Are They can undoubtedly boast some serious metal street cred.

The band reunites Kuhr and Nicholson to rock the depths once again, offering more of Satan’s music for those bright, doe-eyed kiddies to enjoy.
And believe me, this is the devil’s music on overdrive. Ass-shattering bass threatens to snap subwoofers in half, lightning-infused guitars slash through the sonic structure, grave drums unbuckle the seatbelts, and Kuhr’s vocals discharge over it all with a murky sort of industriousness.
Who Manifest works well as a mouth-watering EP, that’s for damn sure. The band is currently in studio rolling out their debut full-length, so if this trio of tracks is any sign, fans of devious fucking metal are in for a treat later this year.

I’m not going to bother pissing about genres, as usual. Whether These Are They add up to a doom metal band, a death metal band, a sludge metal band, a stoner metal band, a Muppet metal band, or a dark black metal band with neon leanings is neither here nor there with me.
Instead, I’d rather chew over what Kuhr and Co. were thinking when creating this EP and what their motives were. From the devastating, strenuous intro to “The Indweller” to the down-tuned, encrusted growl of “Birthright Of The Saturnine,” it’s safe to say that These Are They are more concerned with stealing souls and shattering ear drums than they are with type deliberations.

Sandwiched in the middle, the demonic, sludgy, shockingly warm bearing of “In the Halls of Waverly” has nothing to do with that Disney Harry Potter swindle and everything to do with conjuring up the darkest of spirits.

These are unrestrained, involving tracks that soar with ruthless force. The Who Manifest EP sounds off at about the twenty minute mark, but I’ll be damned if I found a moment where These Are They wasn’t sweating blood. Lovers of immense, cavernous, sinister metal will certainly be satisfied with this EP for the time being, but the anticipation for the full length will be hard to bear.

http://blogcritics.org/

 

[Rycher]

Ha, that's an interesting review. Never thought I'd read one featuring the phrase "ass-shattering."

I do like that the EP is 20 minutes long. As much as I love Bloodbath's Breeding Death EP, I can't stand the fact that it's only 15 minutes long.

 

[Novembers Paul]

The full length is 9 songs, and comes in at just over 44 minutes. Re-recorded versions of Indweller and Waverly are on it, but we left Birthright to EP only. If you like Waverly and Indweller, I think the full length will really appeal to you.

 

[Srontgorrth]

The full length sounds like it will be really awesome. My favorite song on the EP is definitely In The Halls of Waverly (the intro is really catchy imo) and I really enjoy the other to songs as well. So any idea when the album is going to come out?

 

[STEVE NICHOLSON]

You know how deadlines and delays kind of coincide. It's a bands curse sometimes. We have an idea of when it will hit. But that's a press release for another day. There will be some music to hear from TAT this summer while everyone waits for the album. Stay tuned for that.

 

[Novembers Paul]

Steve's correct. While we don't have a 100% concrete date, what we DO know is, it will drop this year, and the plan at the moment is early October. That should stick, but we'll have surprises and song leaks before then!