CoC : Makrothumia - The Rit of Individuation : Review

Makrothumia - _The Rit of Individuation_
(Bestial, 1997)
by: Brian Meloon (7 out of 10)

Makrothumia didn't make a good first impression on me with their song on the Bestial sampler [CoC #33], but I'm glad I gave them a chance with this offering, as it's worth a listen. They are dubbed "progressive death metal", and I can see now why that label was chosen. The closest comparison I can make is to Pan.Thy.Monium, but Makrothumia aren't as weird or as advanced. What's similar about the bands is their base style: experimental death metal with keyboards. The way the keys are used is similar: they're used as a backing instrument, but the way they interact with the guitars is novel. The riffs are of the semi-melodic variety: the melody isn't the focal point, but they're not unmelodic either. The vocals are pretty standard grunted death vocals, but have some interesting variations. Unfortunately, the production really isn't that good: it's muddy and more like black metal production. This gives the album a very drab sound and makes it hard to really get into on the first few listens: it all sounds the same. After a few listens, you start to pick up things that you missed before. The playing also adds to the black metal sound, as it's not as tight as it could be. While I don't think this offering is quite "there" yet, it does show potential, and I look forward to their future releases.

(article published 19/11/1998)