Thou & Emma Ruth Rundle - May Our Chambers Be Full & The Helm Of Sorrow

 

Key Facts

Country: 🇺🇸

Genre: Sludge/Drone/Doom Metal

Release Date: 

May Our Chambers Be Full: 30th October 2020

The Helm Of Sorrow: 15th January 2021

Record Label(s): Sacred Bones Records

Band Members

Mitch Wells - Bass 

Matthew Thudium - Guitars 

Andy Gibbs - Guitars

Bryan Funck - Vocals 

Tyler Coburn - Drums

KC Stafford - Guitars, Vocals

Emma Ruth Rundle - Vocals, Guitar

Thou/Emma Ruth Rundle - Ancestral Recall

Review

Ratings (out of 5🤘): 

May Our Chambers Be Full: 🤘🤘🤘🤘.5

The Helm Of Sorrow: 🤘🤘🤘🤘.5

Favourite Track(s)

May Our Chambers Be Full: Ancestral Recall, Killing Floor, Out OF Existence, The Valley

The Helm Of Sorrow: Crone Dance, 

Creative and collaborative droning, doom metal monolith Thou have teamed up with the haunting yet mesmerising singer-songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle (ERR) to create a set of haunting collaborative EPs. It felt wrong to review them separately, as The Helm Of Sorrow seems like the natural continuation of May Our Chambers Be Full, and together they create an hour's worth of slow, drudging riffs and ethereal vocals. With soundscapes and sludgy melodic riffs fusing into one, this is certainly a transcending experience for any listener when marathoning through both records. Whilst the slow melancholy can draw you into a meditative trance, there is a beautiful and mesmerising force simmering underneath which adds a haunting dissonance. This creates vivd depictions of loss and love in your mind that come straight out of a parallel universe of gothic splendour. 

May Our Chambers Be Full

Kicking off with ghost like track Killing Floor, with its floating melodies and ethereal backdrop lures the listener into a false sense of security, as it capitalises on many of ERR's strengths. Before launching into the unadulterated sludge and doom of Monolith. The album is quite an interesting collaboration, as it has the signature Thou hallmarks, but toned down to be more ethereal and melodic which  really emphasises the power of ERR's melodies and vocals.  The riffs themselves aren't typical doom riffs, as they tend to have a more waltzing feel, something that could be played in a haunted mansion's gothic ballroom. Digressions aside, while they still have that bludgeoning doom/sludge heaviness, its not in the form of the caveman, knuckle dragging 4/4 pounding that you're used to. Contradictory to that point would be Ancestral Recall, which has a groove filled, sludge back bone that is signature Thou, with ERR's vocals it offers a nice contrast as the dynamics of the song shift and evolve. Ancestral Recall feels like the most stand out song on the album, as it journeys through what has already been established in the songs prior, fusing ethereal elements and chaos starting doom/sludge riffs. The album could almost be seen as the ups and downs of a spiritual ritual, as the songs build you establish this phenomenal connection with whatever deity or spiritual being is there. With the quieter more prog sections, it feels like a manifestation period of the energy required that gets unleashed when the cataclysmic riffs come back in. Magickal Cost is the song that demonstrates this the most effectively, slamming ethereal melody with the thunder of doom in the most magical way. There is definitely a focus on haunting yet gracefully beautiful melodies, which makes for a refreshing change of pace. Each melody feels finely crafted and expertly arranged to make every note of the song have a significant impact. Layering of different textures creates an interesting melancholic atmosphere whilst simultaneously sounding huge. Hefty album closer The Valley is a song of two parts, six minutes of ultimate ethereal droning, much like the opener Killing Floor, until you get to the last three minutes where the album closes in a shower of heavy, distorted riffs before fading out with a melancholic violin solo. Overall, the first part to this collaborative project is quite a journey, channelling melancholic and sorrowful emotion in a huge atmospheric setting. Conveniently, The Valley perfectly fades into Orphan Limbs which is part two of this project.

The Helm Of Sorrow

There is something very Chelsea Wolfe sounding about this EP's opener Orphan Limbs, it creates a tense atmosphere and leaves you eagerly anticipating a massive riff drop (which begins to build halfway through and pays off perfectly) whilst sounding effortlessly beautiful yet mournful. The second part of this project, feels like a continuation of part one, but with ramped up energy and aggression. Here it is safe to say that May Our Chambers Be Full was the melancholy, before the darkness takes over in The Helm Of Sorrow. The EP is so much more sinister in its intentions, with more discordance and aggression, the sorrow permeates its darkness through your soul. Crone Dance is a fine example of the ramped up energy and evil, with ethereal melody making way for an all out sludge/doom assault of distortion and feedback. Underneath you can hear a triumphantly dark sounding string arrangement, which augments this tense and unforgiving atmosphere. Whilst each song from both projects seem to fade into one, the fade between Crone Dance and Recurrence is the stand out one, as it wastes no time in reinstating that ferocious momentum which started towards the back end of Orphan Limbs. Whilst ERR's mesmerising clean vocals continue to effortlessly float over the chaos, there is something seriously heavy about The Helm Of Sorrow. It feels determinedly more dark and dismal, whilst packing a weight punch with heavy rhythms and distorted riffs. EP closer Hollywood, is a triumphant closer to both projects, with a catchy vocal hook of "Get AWAY!" and "Run AWAY!". It harnesses all the power of the EP and spits it forth into the void with powerful determination, whilst ERR's vocals take centre stage in the quieter rhythm based sections before cataclysmic riffs come crashing in and bring the walls down around you. Overall there is a lot of contrast part one, but it feels like they are stories intertwined with one another, and the only way to get the full impact of this collaboration is to listen to them back to back. 

The production for both albums is an exercise in the sublime, as far as doom and sludge are concerned. The rhythm guitars are thick and fuzzy, sounding like they weigh an absolute ton and are consistent throughout both releases, adding to the mystic of the project. The lead tones have various incarnations, from the haunting, heavily processed cleans to the distorted leads accompanying the cataclysmic riffs. The bass tone is also thick and heavy, rumbling away to amplify the power in the riffs. This sonic variety keeps the mixes interesting, coinciding with the strong use of dynamics makes the heavier sections more impactful and compacted while the quieter sections feel more open and airy. The layering of droning synths and other electronic elements emphasises this massive expanse that the music creates whilst adding a unique and intriguing texture to the songs. The kick drum is low and deep, providing a pulsating thumping throughout both releases, whilst the snare has enough snap to accent the void. Overall both releases are mixed incredibly well, and aids in the music's captivating mysticism. 

If you fancy some sludgy droning doom then get both these releases on back to back. It will be an hour more than well spent!

Thou & Emma Ruth Rundle - May Our Chambers Be Full & The Helm Of Sorrow