Thou - Kingdoms

Official Site
Label: Peasant Magik
Released: 2009
Release Type: 3 cassettes lmt. 300
Genre: Sludge

My excitement aside, this release offers a handful for collectors, enthusiasts, and even the casual listener. Packaged inside a small jet black box (roughly 4x4x4in.) you get three cassettes, each with a thick plastic like paper covered with beautiful grey/black artwork, a pin, a sticker, a patch, a vial of pine needles/cones, a small booklet with lyrics and pictures all on a bed of moss; quite the package, no?

The music contained in this beautiful little package is all of Thou's work from 2007-2008, not including their first two demos. You get two full lengths (Tyrant & Peasant), The Retaliation of the Immutable Force of Nature EP, To Carry a Stone EP ,We Pass Like Night, From Land to Land(split with Leech), Thrive & Decay (split with Black September), and Malfeasance-Retribution EP. There's a lot to take in, but it's all excellent. You can really appreciate a band when they don't have a single bad song.

Having heard most of this stuff on vinyl/mp3 I can say it sounds excellent here. I heard the Peasant album in my friend's car in mp3 format and we both commented how overproduced and weak it sounded, not here; the tape sounds excellent and carries that filthy heavy sludge sound that's damn near perfect.

So as far as the music's concerned I'll break it down by singular release.

Tyrant
Being the first release I heard by Thou I was an instant fan. Songs like "Tyrant" and "Fucking Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean" are stellar highlights (listen to that buildup around 6minutes in "Tyrant" holy hell that's awesome). With the previously mentioned songs we see vibrant sludge mixed with beautiful post metal sections (soaring guitars, build ups, huge sound). The more Eyehategod like sections are excellent mid-paced crashes of heavy riffs and monstrous drums all accompanied by venomously powerful vocals. In terms of the vocals, they sound much more like black metal vocals than anything else, yet they're still decipherable. Thou excel at what they do because they seemingly manage to mix that ugly, filthy, drug ridden vibe that we associate with sludge and mix it with the celestial sound that comes to mind with bands like Pelican and Caspian. Easily one of the best sludge releases I've ever heard.

Thrive & Decay
An excellent release in it's own right, as Black September plays an awesome brand of death metal akin to older Bolt Thrower, but here it's just Thou (as with the other split material included). The song from this release has a great movie clip at the beginning and the song carries out in a similar violent manner. Much more like Eyehategod (I hate to keep comparing, but it's true). Awesome song title as well, "Smoke Pigs."

We Pass Like Night, From Land to Land
Four Songs here, previously from the split with Leech. Things start softly with a calming acoustic intro which leads to the spacey and serene "Here I Stand, Head In Hand" which explodes into a brilliant cascade of emotive force, embodying itself in thick walls of distortion ravenous vocals and seeping bass. A much more atmospheric a offering from Thou. Much like the first track, "The Defeatist's Lament" ends with waves of distortion and clean guitars, as well as those ethereal female vocals present on "Here I Stand..." A very "whole" feeling ep, more like a mini album.

Malfeasance-Retribution
The two songs from the ep are phenomenal as we'd expect. Here they're sandwiched in between the Black September split and the Leech split. You gotta love the song titles, "The Severed Genitals of Every Rapist Hang Bleeding From These Trees" (although on the actual ep it's "bleeding genitals..." I don't know if this is a typo on Peasant Magik's part or not). Powerful and driving, both songs are full of rich textures and drift from pounding sludge, to rhythmic changes, to harrowing atmospheric passages. A bit more sludgy, but brilliant nonetheless.


To Carry a Stone
More of the same; first "They Stretch Out Their Hands" carries on a midpaced sludge affair until it breaks down to a harrowing slow section which it never seems to dig itself out of. "The Road of Many Names" begins with the ominous feedback we're all used to and dives in with a super thick and artillery heavy riff. The little haunting clean riff around the end really works well and is quite creepy. All in all I'd have to say this is thou's weakest work, but that's like saying "The Return" isn't as good "Under the Sign;" we're all winners.

Peasant
"The Work Ethic Myth" kicks things off perfectly, as it's one of the best tracks on the album and depicts Thou's sound perfectly. Peasant, an album which I'm not as well versed with as Tyrant, is still magnificent but doesn't hold the same place that Tyrant does for me. Sections like 5:10 into "Belt Of fire To Guide Me Cloak Of Night To Hide Me" and the first real riff of "Burning Black Coals And Dark Memories" are great and make up the weight of quality for this album. Not as strong as Tyrant, but remarkable nonetheless.

The Retaliation of the Immutable Force of Nature
Two songs again here. "What Blood Still Runs Through These Veins" crawls at a snail's pace yet carries a hippo's weight. The sound is giagantic and the guitars are as thicker than any football linebacker you can think of. They achieve a huge sound here and juxtapose the sludgy thickness with beautiful leads and powerful riffs. The track peters out to distortion and leads way to "Acceptance" which is one of my favorite songs. It's a post metal instrumental done better than any post metal band. The beautiful guitars weave back and forth in between lapses of reverb and accompanying drums. It all builds to a monumental crescendo with some of the most enthralling guitarwork I've ever heard around the six minute mark which luckily continues until around ten minutes. The progression and delivery is simply breath taking and proves that Thou are an exceptional band.

Beyond the excellent music, Thou create wonderful lyrics and have an absolutely magnificent image in their artwork and merchandise. Little epigraphs here and there on various releases depict a well read and versed band, as well as establish the morose atmosphere of the band. With all the releases I own of the band, each one was well worth the money as they all come with something special and have great artwork, Kingdoms is no different. The quote on the first page of the booklet,

"She used the ancient, long-forgotten "thou"- the "thou" of the master to the slave. It entered into me slowly, sharply. Yes, I was a slave, and this, too, was necessary, was good."

Taken from Yevgeny Zamyatin's book We is a powerful epigraph to this impressive body of work. The boxset is only $20 and well worth it; I'm a very happy camper with this one. Go to Thou's webpage and you can listen to every song of theirs i think.

-F

An Explication of Distros and What They Have to Offer

So we have a list of distros on the side toolbar, we have them there in hopes that you'll support them and buy shit from them. As a vinyl collector myself I put this list together as a good source for people to refer to and order from. For the most part, if not all of them, are based in the US. So I'm sorry rest of the world. So here's the low down.

Here's a key to make looking at each place easier:
O-obscure stuff M-also offers a lot of merch, as in t-shirts, posters, etc
V-good for vinyl
S1-5- Selection, 1 being a very small selection, 5 being quite expansive
P1-5-Prices, 1 being dirt cheap, 5 being very expensive. This is a generalization, and doesn't include shipping which some sites charge a lot more than others.

aQuarius Records
O-V-S4-P3(most things are very fairly priced, but a couple of things are waaaay expensive for no good reason)
Based in San Fransisco, AQ is a local record shop which since the 70's has been a haven for all types of music fanatics. Their prices are quite fair and they carry an expansive amount of black metal, doom/stoner metal, and lots of indie/hip stuff I've never heard. They put out a great newsletter with editor's picks and highlight new material that's entered the store. Great selection, good shipping, and trustworthy. A top pick.

Century Media
M-S5-P3
Tired and true, Century Media offers what the little guys can't. Deals upon deals, cheap cds, relatively priced vinyl and merch, CM's got a lot. I haven't ordered from them in awhile, as I usually go vinyl hunting for obscure stuff, but if i bought cds they would get regular orders from me. They offer grab bags and all kinds of shit, decent service if I remember correctly. Just what you'd expect from a bigger label.

Crucial Blast
O-V-S4-P3
Showcasing a wide array of music from all types of labels, Crucial Blast offers up some great stuff. Carrying many hardcore/grind/pv/whatever labels such as Six Weeks Records as well as many black metal labels like Anja Offensive and what not, they've got everything. Fair prices and staff picks make this a favorite for browsing. A smaller site but maintains a good selection and competitive prices to bigger labels like CM and Relapse. Resides in the DC/Maryland area.

Deathgasm Records
O-S3-P4
Haven't had a chance to order from these guys yet, but they showcase a lot of interesting stuff and a lot of stuff I've never heard of. Primarily a black metal outfit, see what you can find. A bunch of shirts too. Based in Georgia.

Fullmoon Productions
V-O-S3-P2
Mostly black metal here, good selection of vinyl and cds from many bands I've never heard of. T-shirts as well, never ordered from here but it seems like good stuff, I check it quite often but never have money when I do. Based out of Colorado.

Hell's Headbangers
V-O-S4-P4
A distro I've had a lot of interaction with, HH offers a lot of their own household names (lots of black thrash, black/death metal) as well as many other grind, death metal, thrash, and black metal; even some punk here and there. One of the larger selections of vinyl I know of. Prices are fair, although I feel the flat rate of 6bucks for all 7" is a bit much. Well detailed, but expensive patches, shirts and all kinds of promotional/limited edition stuff. Good and fast shipping, owner oversees everything and talks directly to you, the two times I've had an issue he was very agreeable with refunds and credit. Typically includes a bunch of free stuff, like stickers, samplers, posters. I'm sure if I had bigger orders I'd get some cool free shit, highly recommend this one! A mecca for the underground US metal scene.Based in Ohio.

Interpunk
V-M-S5-P3
Huge huge huge distro that covers crap like Bouncing Souls, Anti-Flag, NOFX, to gems like Man is the Bastard, Insect Warfare, Magrudergrind... you get the point; large selection. Can be pricey at times, at others pretty cheap. Things tend to be in the punk region, although they carry quite a bit of metal. They also have a cool point system, and contests, so ordering more yields money towards next purchases(i ordered two Lp and now have like $1 in my account or something). Cool site, lots of shirts, patches and whatnot too. Be prepared to look hard though, lots of crap on the site.

Karnstein Records
O-S2-P2
Based in the UK, Karnstein claims to ship anywhere for free and offers cds at 5euros a pop. Seems like a pretty good deal. Cds aren't encased in plastic as it's cheaper to ship that way, sounds a bit sketchy in terms of their safety, but whatever. Cases can be requested. Currently only carrying CDs they seem to have quite a limited selection, but deals like these aren't too easy to come by.

Kreation Records
O-V-S4-P3
Solid distro/label that carries a huge amount of crap. All kinds of genres, all kinds of formats. They also have a slew of OOP and collectors items that are priced stupidly high. Beyond that my interactions have been quite positive and they offers lots of vinyl! Highly recommended.

Nuclear War Now!
O-V-S5-P3
Beyond their cool name, NWN is one of the best US distros/labels around. Fast and excellent shipping paired with great prices, releases of the utmost quality and a large selection, NWN retains a ton of authority. With lots of vinyl (500+), tapes(200+) and CD(300+) along with a handful of shirts and zines, NWN offers a lot. A favorite of mine and something I keep up to date with. Mostly black metal and death metal, although there's a lot to be found when you really dig deep.

Profane Existence
O-S2-P2
A punk based label showcasing tons of hardcore, grind, crust, and what have you. Cheap and solid prices, and small array of good stuff. It's quality over quantity here. In my opinion I think they should carry more, there's a lot of competition out there, but alas; good distro.

Profound Lore Records
O-S2-P3
One of the most promising, and well rounded labels out there. With great bands such as Agalloch, Altar of Plagues, Cobalt, Amesoeurs/Alcest, Caina, Nadja and Portal, they've showcased tons of new talent and bands that stray(in a good way) from the ordinary and mundane. Decent prices and a lackluster, but quality selection. Solid stuff. Ontario, Canada.

Relapse Records
V-M-S4-P3
Large selection of the commercial, and not so. Everything from d-beat masters, to the latest trend in metal, Relapse has a lot to offer. Really impressive selection of vinyl and good shipping. Decent and fair prices, plenty of deals and good finds, Relapse is one of the better "big underground" distros/labels. Plenty of exclusives too.

Shadow Kingdom Records
O-V-S3-P3
Lots of old releases as well as new. Hefty amount of vinyl and 1000+cds. Divided by genre for your connivance, good stuff. Prices are decent, somethings grossly overpriced, some a bit of a steal. Fun site to look through. Mostly metal, some older rock/proto-metal.

Southern Lord
V-S2-P3-M
Metal's hippest label, SL offers plenty and quality stuff in terms of their own bands. As a distro it's a bit lacking, but there's some good stuff to be found. Prices tend to be on the expensive side, but packaging and shipping is quite competent. Label releases are ensured to reek of quality in terms of packaging, materials, etc. Mostly metal and the doom field of things(drone, etc).

The Omega Order(The End Records)
V-M-S4-P3
The other most hip metal label out there, The End, showcases an impressive distro which covers all fields of metal, as well as the avant garde, and subsections of punk. Wide selection and plenty of gems to find. I got a rare Leviathan Lp from them for 13 bucks simply cause the jacket was bent. Solid stuff, a lot to sort through. Quality shipping and even some freebies here and there.

Unholy Thrash Records
O-V-S2-P2
Talk about small, Unholy Thrash is a tiny outfit with some good stuff. $8 LPs, and $3.50 eps, you get a big bang for your buck. A fun site to order randomly from, stuff based in the punk realm of things.

Unrest Records
O-V-S5-P3
Lots of shit, lots and lots. Cool distro and tons to find. Great selection of vinyl and good prices. Lots of metal and punk stuff, something for everyone! A lot of collector's items and lots of old metal.

Very Distribution
V-S5-P3
Large as hell selection of everything from Indie, to hardcore, to black metal. Lots of cds and vinyl, lots to find. Good prices and great service. Friendly and reliable, a very good distro, hur hur hur.


Well that's it. There's a million distros out there, and a bunch I use regularly that aren't listed here, but I don't have the stamina to do anymore. Check these out and support the scene(whatever it maybe) fuck the record industry, but support smaller labels and individuals. Feel free to recommend other distros in the comments section of this page, hopefully this serves as a good reference for you all.


-F