### Thou: To the chaos wizard youth

#### 06/09/11 || gk

Following on from last year’s massive “Summit” full length, this doom sludge band from New Orleans has, like always, been prolific this year with “To The Chaos Wizard Youth” being the band’s second EP. I have no idea how many releases the band will end up putting out this year but Thou are one of the few bands who manage to be ultra prolific without sacrificing on quality.

If you know Thou then you know what to expect. There’s very little change in the basic sound of the band from release to release and this little EP is as nasty as anything the band’s done so far. The droning lumbering intro to opener “The Unnamed Path” really should tell you all you need to know about this band. As a slow and dirty riff slowly builds tension there isn’t always a guaranteed release. The vocals are sandpaper screeches hidden in the muck of the music as the band focus on a steady mid paced riff while giving a whole new meaning to the term breakdown at around the 5 minute mark. “The Witch Cunt” starts with almost clean guitars and a slow building melody before the screeching feedback and drone turns the song into a heavy as fuck dirge. “Helen Hill Will Have Her Revenge On New Orleans” is a song thats almost groovy by Thou standards with the drums propelling the song along in a sort of mid tempo bounce before the guitars kick in and take the song into some very cool sludge. “Skinwalker” closes the EP and is the most aggressive song Thou has done in a while. Equal parts chaotic hardcore and sludge with enough feedback and noise to really close the EP out on high.

Thou just continue to be awesome. There’s no two ways about it. From around the time of the “Malfeasance Retribution” EP in 2008, the band has just failed to put a foot in the wrong direction. The five guys in the band seem to gel remarkably well and the songs consistently kick immense amounts of ass.

If you’re a fan of the band then chances are you’ve heard this already but if you like the doom-sludge school and have never heard Thou then do yourself a favour and check out “To The Chaos Wizard Youth”. This is up there with the classic New Orleans sludge sound.

- Information
- Released: 2011
- Label: Vendetta Records
- Website: http://noladiy.org/thou
- Band
- Bryan Funck: vocals
- Matthew Thudiam: guitars
- Andy Gibbs: guitars
- Mitch Wells: bass
- Josh Nee: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. The Unnamed Path
- 02. The Witch Cunt
- 03. Helen Hill Will Have Her Revenge on New Orleans
- 04. Skinwalker