For those who don't know
Jex Thoth, they are an American band from San Francisco, named after their vocalist Jessica
Thoth. What they play? The band is categorized as 'alchemy doom', however this band is a real treat for those who like the oldest forms of metal, the kind of vibe you get from beginning of 70's
Black Sabbath or
King Crimson songs.
Lead female singer Jessica
Thoth has an interesting timbre and her solemn, yet warm voice is exactly what makes the music so special...She has a simple, yet expressive way of singing.
The MCD 'Witness' is their latest release and has 2 original tracks - '
Raven nor the spirit', '
Slow rewind' - and 'Mr.
Rainbow', a cover from a pop group called Slapp Happy. The lyrical themes are usually mythology, religion or philosophical and the total play amount of 15 minutes will leave you wanting for more.
The vocals are haunting, very suitable to the melody, which are rather simplistic, but have a certain warmth, not suffocating, but rather soothing, enveloping you in comfortable daze. There are no strong guitars, just nuances of heaviness, a 'The Doors'-esque organ that brings a tinge of psychedelia - all recorded in a slightly rudimentary way, conferring a time capsule like feeling. Actually, it is this kind of melodic background that brings the voice out, leading you into a mystic, groovy universe.
This is more of a ‘love it or leave it’ type of band, for a rather pretentious niche, as
Jex Thoth may be more appealing to fans of doom, progressive and generally mellower genres of metal, to the ones in love with that retro sound of decades past.
If there is anything to criticize about this band, it would be the fact that I was expecting a bit more experimenting... I mean they have been using a type of oldies' like sound that the pioneers of metal used to have, so they also shouldn't shy away from discovering new sounds and expressing different types of emotion in new ways.
However, taking into consideration the fact that this is a mini cd, I certainly look forward to a full length album, since there will be more things to discover.
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