Mefitis – The Skorian // The Greyleer
Release Date: 29th November 2024
Label: Profound Lore Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Dark Metal, Progressive Black Metal, Gothic, Death Metal, Avant Garde, Thrash Metal, Post-Metal.
FFO: Fabricant, Esoctrilihum, Blut aus Nord, Veilburner, The Ruins Of Beverast.
Review By: Rick Farley
Formed originally by Pendath and Vatha in 2007, California based Mefitis returns for their twisted, third full length, The Skorian // The Greyleer released November 29, 2024, on Profound Lore Records. Labelled as Dark metal, Mefitis redefines the boundaries set by extreme metals genre standards. Rooted firmly in the black metal, death metal realm, the band also manically creates an atmospheric sense of dramatic darkness. Infused with oddities such as jazzy basslines, weird melodies, sporadic synth sounds, the album feels slightly chaotic while still being in firm control of itself. Harsh, grisly growls mixed with hauntingly sung choir like voices in the background, while a metallic maelstrom of musical styles clash for an anxiety ridden, dense, unorthodox sonic battering. Thorny riffs, gothic symphonic arrangements and thudding drums create a musical landscape that supports the dark metal label.
The Skorian // The Greyleer was initially conceived as an experiment for analog tape. Split into two different recording sessions at two different studios over the course of four years. Every piece of sound you will hear was initially tracked to tape and then digitized and mixed by the band. Tracking to tape the old school way gives the record a retro, warmer, more natural sound to the instruments, which in turn broadens the dynamics, allowing the music to breathe more freely and organically. Sonically, it sounds great, and you can hear every little nuance.
Thematically, the dual title The Skorian // The Greyleer is indicative of the two halves and are reflections of each other and can be appreciated both in parts and in whole. That’s not to say it sounds like two different records, it’s more of a tonality and songwriting approach that differs in its uniqueness. The second half of The Skorian // The Greyleer, stands as the more adventurous or progressive of the two, with a rather dramatic kind of operatic flow to the last four songs. Track eight The Greyleer contains thrashy riffs, clean guitar melodies, wacky synths, choir style vocals and a forward driving arrangement that still manages to twist and turn in a very demented way, while track one Vire’s Arc on The Skorian half of the record is borderline atmospheric black metal with small flourishes of uniqueness. Comparing the two bookend tracks sort of better sets the review up in trying to explain the albums peculiarities. Both tracks are similar in how they sound and are identifiable of the same band but presented much differently. It becomes both the albums strength and its weakness. It could come off as trying to be too smart for its own good, meaning the appeal might be for a specific group of metal fans.
At 42 minutes, the records flow is seamless, but I would consider this as a grower even if you’re used to the unorthodox. It’s not immediately inviting and takes a little time to comprehend what you’re hearing fully. Truthfully, it is an engaging record that I can appreciate, but the curiosity of whether or not it will fully click with me remains to be seen. As it stands, you should check Mefitis out and decide for yourself.
(3.5 / 5)
