RJ
This album is driven by the female vocals and atmospheric passages. The blending of heavy moments cut well to keep the album from dragging too much. However, every other track is a short instrumental ambient piece that slows the flow of the album down a little too much. Overall a good and interesting release. 7/10
Favorite track: Libation Bearers.
Caterina
An exquisite blend of metal, post rock, psychedelic rock and ambient, this music totally captures the vibes of ancient Greek drama. I would love to see Lotus Thief perform in an ancient Greek theatre! Maybe some day...
Favorite track: Libation Bearers.
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San Francisco avant-gardists Lotus Thief create visionary music that incorporates elements of doom and black metal as well as post rock. Transcendent in sound and substance, the band has released two acclaimed albums ("Rervm" in 2014, and their Prophecy debut "Gramarye" in 2016), that draw insight from ancient texts for present-day life. History is preserved and ignited, a sonic re-imagining for a world where the human race learns from its past.
With their third record "Oresteia," Lotus Thief pushes their sound further than ever, focussing on both male and female singing, feral screams, melodic versus ferocious guitarwork and soaring violins. The result balances the atmospheric with the devastating.
In retelling the namesake epic trilogy from ancient Greece by tragedian Aeschylus, mastermind Bezaelith once again addresses distinctly modern topics, as the blood-drenched story of the mythical House of Atreus prompts several questions, ranging from the ethics of killing to gender roles.
"Oresteia" is an intentional narrative and boasts Lotus Thief's most sophisticated production so far. A five-headed hydra of distinct personalities and stylistic backgrounds contributes to the record's depth and diversity like the masked actors in an ancient stage play. It is no wonder that with its strong dynamics and ambient intersections, the tracks mirror an experience not unlike attending a performance in an amphitheater.
Add to this maybe the heaviest moments ever in Lotus Thief's oeuvre, their new full-length embodies the ingenuity and intensity of contemporary extreme music.
"Oresteia" is available as a Digipak CD, 2CD artbook with three bonus tracks and on vinyl (black, ltd. transparent red).
The Spotify algorithm blessed me with this one today. Had to come pay my dues, as it were. This is some immense, murky, horrifyingly beautiful stuff. adammcjohnson
If you're going to go out in apocalyptic style you might want to have the 40 minute title track playing loud at your side. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 12, 2013
F++ck. I feel drowned, under a thick sea hearing that music. If you wanted me to feel this way, you got it That type of accordion is really great. Migajones