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Black Thai, Seasons of Might: Doors to Burn

Posted in Reviews on December 5th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Three years on from their debut EP, Blood from on High (review here), Boston-based four-piece Black Thai return with Seasons of Might, which ups their presentation on every level. A 45rpm multicolor 12″ vinyl platter with four songs — “Blood Dust,” “Start a War,” “Doors to Nowhere” and “Reasons to Burn” — it still check in as a 22-minute EP, but the growth in the songwriting is responds in kind to the seasonal-representation in the Alexander von Wieding artwork, which of course depicts the four seasons played out in alternately gorgeous and cruel fashion across a single face, from the birth of life in spring to the decay of autumn. Whether or not Seasons of Might itself, which was recorded by Joe Saliba and mixed by Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios, was intended to mirror these ideas musically, I don’t know, but it’s easy enough to read a different personality into each track and I’d suspect it’s from there that the title derives. Be it the rolling riff-heavy groove of “Blood Dust” or the heads-down intensity of “Doors to Nowhere” — introduced with a frantic fill by drummer and recently-converted stair safety expert Jeremy HemondBlack Thai are able to elicit a varied personality through consistent songwriting quality and weighted production and the result is a brief collection that more than ably serves notice that, yes, they’re still at work and that Blood from on High, which came across as a somewhat surprisingly metallic turn after their initial two-song demo (review here) showcased an initial base of stoner doom push, was more of a beginning point for a developing aesthetic than a be-all-end-all of the band’s scope. Black Thai are tighter on Seasons of Might as one might expect with three more years of shows under their collective belt with the lineup of guitarist/vocalist Jim Healey (ex-We’re all Gonna Die), guitarist Scott O’Dowd (also Cortez), bassist Cory Cocomazzi and Hemond (also Cortez and Roadsaw) — these are experienced players who know what their project is — but even taking that into account, the EP manages to land a striking blow with each of its components, whatever its thematic may or may not be.

It doesn’t seem unfair to say Seasons of Might should probably be a full-length album, three years on from their first outing, but if there would’ve been a sacrifice in quality to add even another 10 or 15 minutes to the release, then Black Thai made the wiser choice to keep it brief. With Healey‘s soulful vocals at the fore along with O’Dowd‘s tear-right-in lead work and the groove and stomp that Cocomazzi and Hemond seem to wield at will, all four members are working together within the songs to maximize the impact of each both emotionally and tonally, and with a professional production behind them — which they also had their last time out — they at times carefully and at times bombastically leave a footprint on the borderline where heavy rock meets heavy metal. To wit, the call and response chorus of “Start a War,” which follows the opener, finds Healey with a throaty delivery that still holds its melody but carries plenty of aggression as well. This is a far cry from the more patient, atmospheric approach on the eight-minute “Reasons to Burn,” which doesn’t even begin its first verse until after two minutes in and follows the riff in doomier fashion as the title-line of the EP is delivered in the chorus in a more solitary, straightforward fashion. All four of the songs hold plenty of weight in their tones — they’re all heavy, in other words — it’s just a question of how Black Thai choose to tip the balance of their influences. That it’s a choice they’re making at all speaks to where they are in their craft, and actually says a lot about it. This is a band in control of what they do, who is aware of what they’re accomplishing in this material, which itself is refined despite what particularly on “Doors to Nowhere” is a fresh and switched on feel, not lifeless or sterile. It is professional, but not standoffish or disengaged.

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10 Days of SHoD XIII, Pt. 2: Black Thai Premiere “Start a War” from Seasons of Might EP

Posted in audiObelisk, Features on October 25th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

We continue the “10 Days of Stoner Hands of Doom XIII” special with a brand new track from Boston four-piece Black Thai, who will release their brand new 12″ EP, Seasons of Might, on mystery-colored 45rpm vinyl in time to tour their way south to SHoD and then make a leisurely loop through the Midwest en route back north. The four-song, 22-minute collection arrives with golly-that’s-pretty artwork from Alexander von Wieding, and in a limited edition of 300 as the Black Thai’s first release since 2010’s Blood from on High EP (review here) gave a more metallic edge to the heavy rock styling of their initial 2010 demo (review here), guitarist/vocalist Jim Healey bringing an aggressive but still accessible vibe to the tracks.

Seasons of Might works in a similar vein, but sets a more accomplished balance within each song itself. The band — Healey (formerly of We’re all Gonna Die), guitarist Scott O’Dowd (also Cortez), bassist Cory Cocomazzi and drummer Jeremy Hemond (also Cortez and Roadsaw) — make a decision to ignore that balance and go full-on metal with the near-blasting third track, “Doors to Nowhere,” but on opening duo “Blood Dust” and “Start a War” especially, they’ve found a sonic niche for themselves that isn’t quite as angry as modern metal but neither is it entirely indebted to doom or heavy rock. Most of all, it sounds like Black Thai, which after three years since their last EP is a welcome way for it to turn out.

They round out with the eight-minute “Reasons to Burn,” which tips more toward the doomed, albeit while holding firm to the melodic sensibility shown on the earlier cuts. Seasons of Might was recorded at Mad Oak with Joe Saliba and mixed by Benny Grotto, and the production is as crisp and professional as the songs are engaging, whether it’s O’Dowd tearing into a mournful lead late into “Reasons to Burn” or the full band locking into the thrust of the still-catchy “Start a War,” the burly call-and-response hook of which winds up being one of the highlight moments of the whole release as Healey‘s shouts echo amid the quick turns that almost dare you to keep up.

Black Thai play Stoner Hands of Doom on Sunday, Nov. 10, with Wizard Eye, Kin of Ettins, Lord and many more at Strange Matter in Richmond, Virginia. Their tour dates, a quote from the band about the EP, and links can be found under “Start a War” on the player below.

Enjoy:

Black Thai, “Start a War” from Seasons of Might

Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!

Says Black Thai:

We recorded with Joe Saliba at Mad Oak Studios and he did an absolutely amazing job tracking. Benny Grotto mixed the session and it sounds absolutely pummeling. We couldn’t be happier with the results.

Black Thai on Tour:
11/6 Middle East Upstairs – Cambridge, MA with: Cocked N’ Loaded, Goddamn Draculas, Second Grave (Release show / tour kickoff)
11/7 St. Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY with: Gozu, Kings Destroy, Second Grave
11/8 JR’s Bar – South Philadelphia. PA with: Backwoods Payback, Hang-Up to Flat, Skeleton Hands
11/9 The Pinch – Washington DC with: Iron Man, Gozu, Freedom Hawk
11/10 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA Stoner Hands Of Doom
11/11 The Maywood – Raleigh, NC with: Bedowyn, Devil To Pay
11/12 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA with: Volume IV
11/13 TN (TBA)
11/14 Cusumano’s Pizza – St. Louis, MO with: Rowsdower, Heavy Horse, White Fire
11/15 The Melody Inn – Indianapolis, IN with: So Sayeth, Devils Of Belgrade
11/16 The Tree Bar – Columbus, OH with Old City, +2 TBA
11/17 Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar – Buffalo, NY with: Second Trip
11/18 Nectar’s – Burlington, VT (Metal Monday) with: Toxic Holocaust, Ramming Speed, In Defence

Stoner Hands of Doom XIII

Black Thai on Thee Facebooks

Black Thai’s website

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