Thergothon
Stream From The Heavens
Avantegarde, 1994

Immense grief. The label calls this "the slowest, extremist, most depressing doom metal album." , and I would have to agree. Stream From The Heavens is made up of six expressions of monumental emotional suffering and mental anguish. Finland has been known as a breeding ground for some of the most lethargic music known to man, and Thergothon were one of the first bands to initiate this movement.

There really is no point in singling out particular tracks, as every song embodies the same elemental structure and melancholic despondency. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it keeps the bleak and somber atmosphere flowing freely throughout the albums duration, with not a single deviation from this theme. Crushing doom riffs thick as concrete, ultra slow, crashing drums, an almost constant eerie synth backdrop and vocals that range from inhuman, grief-stricken growling to mournful chants and spoken word to distant whispers. The gruff growls are some of the sickest I've heard put to this type of music, and are often accompanied by the mournful clean-voiced singing (which is actually not really singing, but more like a harmonized form of chanting). There are a few moments where the atmosphere becomes tranquil, usually achieved with almost uplifting synth patterns and distant acoustic strumming. But the overall vibe is one of complete emotional decay. This is the sound of utter grief. Exhausted with life's burdens. A morose, heaving sadness desperate for deliverance. The sound of giving up.

"screams filled with sorrow
echo from the woods
tears drop to the ground and
colour my path blood-red
the Blade (so sharp & cold)
may the Spirits chant my name
oh, the everlasting winter
of my soul
ice burns my skin
I writhe in cold & grief"
 

Thergothon would eventually dissolve shortly after this release, resulting in the band's now cult status. Two of its members, Jori Sjoroos and Niko Sirkia, went on to form the heavily Cure-influenced This Empty Flow, which maintained the bleak, melancholic essence of Thergothon, yet representing it in a much different (yet no less effective) sonic dimension. These are certainly some of the most grief-stricken and lethargic sounds to be heard within the doom metal genre. No matter how good you may feel before entering Stream From The Heavens, you will no doubt be plunged into the depths of the darkest despair.

2001

Tracklisting


1. Everlasting
2. Yet The Watchers Guard
3. The Unknown Kadath In The Cold Waste
4. Elemental
5. Who Rides The Astral Wings
6. Crying Blood + Crimson Snow

Thergothon Discography

Fhtagn nagh Yog-Sothoth demo cd (Wild Rags, 1991)
Stream From The Heavens (Avantgarde, 1994)