Review Summary: Theophuckthisshit
Sophomore albums can be make or break for bands. It could be a chance to redeem yourself from a bad debut or a chance to really make people fans if you have two good albums in a row to start a career. Unfortunately for black metal/mathcore band Theophonos, his second album,
Ashes in the Huron River, is the second dud in a row.
The main problem with this is lack of variety overall. Yes, I know this is black metal and it is oftentimes repetitive. That's all well and good when it envokes a magical atmosphere that transports you to another time and place entirely.
Ashes in the Huron River has very little of that magic. Playing fast is cool, but it can only get you so far. The riffs are lifeless for the most part and give off a very "going through the motions" effect. I love trems and blast beats as much as the next black metal fan but when that's paired with crystal clear and bland production, it makes for a painful listen.
Most of this album suffers from the problems that I've mentioned already, but there is an exception. The title track is an absolute mammoth. Instead of the boring affair that leads up to it, the title track is an unbelievable mashup of groovy rhythms and southern sludge riffs that wouldn't be out of place on a Thou album. If it wasn't for this track,
Ashes in the Huron River would be completely forgettable.
Sadly Theophonos have had two stinkers in a row and to me personally, that's enough to write a band off. There are a million black metal bands out there and if you can't produce then you get put out of mind. Theophonos don't flat out suck but they don't do near enough to keep the listener engaged. If you want by-the-numbers black metal with little variety then this might be your speed, but if you need more than that, you'd be wise to steer clear of
Ashes in the Huron River.
