Litost – Pathos
Release Date: 17th March 2023
Label: Self-Released
Bandcamp
Genre: Extreme Metal, Black Metal, Instrumental Black Metal.
FFO: Behemoth, Vvilderness, Dissection.
Review By: Andy Spoon
The definition of the term “litost” is generally associated with the sudden realization, or the exposition of one’s own internal misery, dread, or remorse. Another choice explanation of the term is “a state of torment created by the sudden sight of one’s misery”, as explained by Czech author Milan Kunderia, one of the main progenitors of the philosophical discussion on the term. Naturally, Litost (the band) is taking those essences to heart with their recent release, Pathos, an album completely inspired by, and perhaps dedicated to the feelings of existential fear, the loss of meaning, or the freakish moments of panic that arise from the failure of a mental paradigm that we have created or been subjected to.
I was excited by the simplicity of the album (as if philosophical issues are “simple”. Allow me to explain), as the entire theme of the album was this one idea. Many artists are so obsessed with giving people a wide swath of material, this is a journal into the existential panic of a mental or metaphysical shift. As someone who had spent the entirety of my young life deeply ensconced in religious practice, I can see some validity in looking deeply into the past with “cringe” in my heart. That being said, let’s dive into Pathos.
Right off the bat, listeners are going to be treated to absolute mayhem on the lead guitar with furious trilling and 16th notes over long instrumental sections before descending into short, blackened screech-scream vocals that help create a musical “violence” which pervades the rest of the album. If you’re a fan of well-produced black metal featuring staggering leads and musical breakdowns, Pathos might be right up your alley.
The “metal” essence of the album is dark and brooding. There isn’t any part of the album that doesn’t seem to reek of emotion tending towards the negative. It’s difficult to use words to describe the overall tone, as it’s not purely black metal. If anything, I would classify it as extreme metal, in the sense that Behemoth is extreme metal, or even Cradle of Filth. There’s a large breadth of sound which Litost is bringing to the table; and it bears mentioning that each element is merely a part of the sound.
First, there’s a huge wall of shredding guitar, bursting in and out of the music, raining those epic power metal-esque notes down like a thunderstorm. The next element you’ll find is the more traditional black metal structure. Guitars are dissonant, melodramatic, and repetitive, driving the melody into a whole other world of effect. The simple binary or trinary chords of black metal rock are used as a relief, chorus, or even bridge, rather than the entirety of the track. This is where the similarity to Behemoth seems clearer. The black metal seems like a single part of a larger goal, and not the goal itself.
Vocally, it’s all from the depth of the black metal world of high-pitched wails and grunting angst. I think that it hits a very nice balance between the stereo electric guitars drenched in reverb. Each vocal section, phrase, or verse is very short, only lasting around one minute of the songs’ time in most cases. For instance, a track might be around 4 minutes long, but only feature vocals for the last 45 seconds. The rest of the whole track leaves the listener in suspense as to when the actual vocal section might begin, if ever. I had to ask myself if it was okay whether a track didn’t have any vocals at all, e.g. could stand on its own “two feet”. Surprisingly, most of them really do hold their own without vocals (example – Vendaval).
You might not find much information on the band online, which might be a perfect way to introduce Pathos, an album that seems to live in a world of obscurity, darkness, and technical mastery. I enjoyed the screaming guitars, the reverb’d rhythm tracks, the sparse vocals, the sound production and quality. Showing a blend of showing-off and well-timed restraint, Pathos is an album which punches above its proverbial weight as a band’s first serious offering into an ether of inquisitive fandom with its blistering leads and blackened refrains. 
(3 / 5)
