Third Storm – The Locust Mantra
Release Date: 6th October 2023
Label: Chaos Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Early Death Metal, Swedish Death Metal, Black Metal.
FFO: Bathory, Venom, Hellhammer, Extol.
Review By: Andy Spoon
Third Storm, originally formed in the late 1980s, seek to deliver their second studio album, The Locust Mantra, on Chaos records on October 6th, 2023. Stating that the scene in the late 1980s was a type of “glam” death metal, Third Storm intends to revive some of the original “vibe” of the progenitors of said music. Having almost 4 decades between active periods is somewhat of an oddity, but not in certain circles of death metal, especially with the advent of OSDM becoming a main-staple genre again in the extreme metal scene. It’s almost like a whole new band has formed, however, just with the same mission, name, and a couple of members. Still under the name of Third Storm, the Swedish death metal quintet are poised for what will either be a comeback or a coming-out, whatever seems to be the case.
The band has stated that they were really looking to emulate some of the 1980s proto-black metal that was active in the South American scene, so I definitely put that mental filter on as I listened. One of the amazing things that is happening with the new wave of old school death metal is the extremely-broad swathe of influences that range from black metal artists like 1349 and Bathory, to early death metal acts like Venom, Death, and add even some grindcore influences from the same era. A retrospective attempt to recreate the sound and feel of the scene as it existed in the early 90s is much easier with the advancements and accessibility in recording and production.
Right off the bat, you can hear some of the blackened influences like Dissection, Bathory, and the like, which is absolutely fabulous on The Locust Mantra. These guys really do have some of that classic Swedish “sound” dialled-in. Given that they are some of the OGs of the Swedish DM scene as elder teenagers, they can honestly be some of the best representatives of that specific sound. There is the addition of synthesizer, which is a little different-sounding to me, but I wanted to make sure I gave it a proper chance. It doesn’t get in the way enough to cause me any problems, but I couldn’t place it in the same place as bands like Dimmu Borgir or Cradle of Filth, as it wasn’t strings and harmonies, but more akin to old JUNO-6 synth blasts from the 90s.
The vocal style is a mix between traditional blackened metal, and early Swedish death. I actually think of Extol, a Swedish Christian Death Metal act, when I hear vocalist Heval Bozarslan’s technique. It’s a welcome sound, as I haven’t heard this used in some time, at least in the type of music the Third Storm is offering. I’m more-impressed by the harmonic guitars that Hasse Hansson and David Eriksson have injected into the mix. The entirety of the album is full to the brim with dissonant harmonies. Interestingly, the guitars sound like they are more traditionally-distorted or overdriven, rather than the “chainsaw” sound that old school Swedish DM acts frequently employed. I find myself missing that at some points, but don’t think that it takes away from the sound.
The entire album never ceases to let up with a superb amount of energy and heaviness. Third Storm hadn’t really spent much time trying to scale down the album with any “doomy” interludes, morbid sound effects, or pretentious cave troll bellowing. The Locust Mantra is largely a serious effort to produce a very satisfying and heavy album, never lacking moments where pinpoint accuracy wasn’t the main focus, or where enjoyment couldn’t be found. Many of the tracks are under two and a half minutes, giving the listener lots to chew on in a quintessential old-school style. I quite enjoyed that.
For 41 minutes, I was transported to another time in the history of Swedish blackened death metal with a stunning album that was engaging, and just plain fun for me as a casual listener of the genre. There is no shortage of melodic substance, extreme riffs and vocal chaos, homage to unique styles of vocal delivery, and a damned-fine reason to explore the origins of some of these musicians’ lives as they revived a project from over 30 years ago. It was all totally cohesive, well-produced, and executed. I think that I would absolutely spin this record again and again, as it is going to be one of my standout albums of the blackened death genre this year.
(4 / 5)
