THAMMUZ ~ III ....review

 

Some albums come into our lives and, although we enjoy them, rarely get played more than a handful of times whereas their are some albums that become staples, albums that we return to over and over again, albums that we know we will still be playing years down the line. On Desert Psychlist's list of albums that fit into that latter category sit two from Netherlands outfit Thammuz, their 2020 debut release "Into The Great Unknown" and its 2022 follow up "Sons of the Occult", two albums that delivered all the requisite heaviness we in this scene love but also delivered on things like melody, swing and groove. The band have just released their third album "III" via Argonauta Records, will it join its predecessors on our list of staple listening material? Let's find out. 

Thammuz's "III" sees somewhat of a sea-change in the bands musical attack, it is not a major change but it is a change all the same. Thammuz's previous releases sat very much in desert rock territory, albeit territory that often shared borders with genres like heavy psych and hard and classic rock,  "III" however see the band exploring the more darker edges of their sound, even getting a little doomic and sludgy in the process. This slightly edgier/darker attack bares it teeth as early as track one on "III" with the excellent "When The Darkness Comes" (featuring Jelle Aron Scholtes of Baardvader) and flows all the way through to final track the dark and folkish "Devil's Gallows" (featuring guest vocalist Merle Pelle) however do not go thinking that the diversity that we at Desert Psychlist have praised the band for in previous reviews has been abandoned for all out doominosity as elements of the blues, hard'n'heavy classic rock and psych all feature heavily throughout "III" its just that  here they are they are applied with slightly heavier brush strokes. Vocals on "III" sit mostly on the melodic side and vary between strong clean and gritty and strong and growly depending on the musical setting, those settings also coming in a variety of guises like lysergic and prog-metallic for the superb "Ishtar", doomic and sludge-like for the gnarly and intense "Bloodlust" and forceful and frenetic for the schizophrenic "Azazel". In truth though you will not find a track NOT to like on "III" with "Old Man", "Risen" and "Dissolution"(also featuring Merle Pelle) all in possession of  their own unique quirks and charms. 

Some might call "III" Thammuz's a "coming of age" album due to its raised levels of maturity in both its arrangements and song writing while others might to refer to it as more of a "coming of rage" release due to its darker, edgier and angrier dynamics but whether you are in the "age" or "rage" camp there is no denying that "III" is one hell of a great album. 

Check it out ..... 

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