CoC : House of Thumbs - Crossing the Rubicon : Review

House of Thumbs - _Crossing the Rubicon_
(Independent, 2009)
by: Quentin Kalis (7 out of 10)

Following their independent EP -- the real thing and not a puffed up demo -- Aussie quintet House of Thumbs have crossed the proverbial Rubicon to record a full-length, without waiting for the time-consuming formality of label backing. The production is as good as any independent (and better than some with label backing, and I'm not talking about "lo-fi az fukk" kiddies in korpsepaint). The artwork is a bit too cluttered, but it's all done in-house and I can hardly hold it against them for not being jacks-of-all-trades. The guitarists lord over the six-string, providing the unusual time signatures and polyrhythms beloved of brainiac metallers that hint at a variety and multitude of influences. Chief among those must surely be Mike Patton (Faith No More, Fantomas and a whole lot more), judging from the varied vocals which run the gamut from growls to high-pitched screams and (if somewhat mediocre) clean vox. Sure, it sounds very modern, but they didn't learn those chops from listening to droning drop-D nu-metal (with the possible exception of System of a Down) or vein-popping metalcore. Someone sign up these guys -- I'm sure if you ask nicely they'll seriously consider a name change...

Contact: http://www.houseofthumbs.au

(article published 28/7/2010)

ALBUMS
15/4/2009	Q Kalis	7	House of Thumbs - Strangle Fiction