EP REVIEW: Thuum release Through Smoke, Comes Fire' this February

THUUM smack 2018 out of the park with their heavy, no holds barred and bruising self-released EP ‘Through Smoke, comes fire’.

If you like Down, Corrosion of Conformity or Mastadon then this is right up your street.

Even if it’s not your thing, there are still melodic heavy thrumming bass and guitar riffs that will have you headbanging with pleasure.

Thuum have a compelling  grungy, sludge sound that has its own stoner like groove.  This is aptly highlighted with their first track, fittingly titled ‘Intro’. This is an instrumental of epic stoner proportions that keeps you listening and swaying along. It slides in with a wonderfully dark Orf-esque soft throated tribalistic chant that slowly transcends into rolling black coated riff laden guitar, rumbling bass and thundering drums that keep a murky beat rumbling onwards to the end.

Next is ‘Worthless’ that gallops along in a hazy groove. The singer, suitably named Bear, adds a rough primordial vocal sound that compliment the animistic feel of the track as it rolls up sinister mountains and down disconsolate valleys. In the faded background there is a tinge of Black Sabbath at play. Its melodic rhythmic swaying back and forth with heavy riffage makes this a truly fantastic composition

‘Hafgufa’ is a track that will roughly grab your neck and throw you around like a rag doll. A tunefully catchy conflagration, it is perfectly jagged with a fuzzy edge. Bear goes from rage filled guttural screams to emotionally charged clear blaring vocals that fit beautifully with the whole track.

Lastly is the title track ‘Through smoke, comes fire’ is a solid piece of thematic sludge that just crushes your ears with grooved out metal, a sharp fuzz, clashing drums, and stomping riffs. A colossal piece, it again finds Bear’s symbiotic vocals flowing from the barbarian guttural vocals to a hard clear voice challenging all and sundry to battle.

You will realise, after listening to this beautifully crafted hefty beast, why Thuum were on the New Blood stage at Bloodstock 2017 and are building a reputation amongst metal lovers.

Slick, tight, professional, hard, heavy, and uncompromising they have produced an EP that would take down a Mammoth at a 100 paces. ‘Through Smoke, Comes Fire’ crushes it totally.

Review by Ivor Whitten

Listen to 'Worthless' (official stream): http://thuum.bandcamp.com/track/worthless