Black Thai, Seasons of Might: Doors to Burn
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 Hemond — Black 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.
And though it rages fast with thickened High on Fire-style thrash, “Doors to Nowhere” in no way departs from the strong hooks of “Blood Dust” and “Start a War.” It’s the shortest song on Seasons of Might at 3:58 and the most pummeling without question, but even as unbridled as it gets, Black Thai never seem to let it completely off the rails. Trading off into the subdued, bass-led start of “Reasons to Burn” is a drastic shift, but Cocomazzi‘s line is hypnotic and with an EP, the expectation is different than it might be for an album. The closer meanders a bit, taking its time, but also holds firm to a verse/chorus structure and is purposeful even in its patience, giving the chorus a sense of arrival after O’Dowd‘s solos and the instrumental build that serves as the apex of the short release. That last chorus is a particularly potent bookend to the song, underscoring the intent as a return to the pre-chorus descends to echo. There’s no doubt as to where they’re headed, but it highlights the idea that Black Thai are working with a focus on songwriting above everything else, and all the more so because “Reasons to Burn” is paired with “Doors to Nowhere,” which is more stripped down and ferocious. In either modus, Black Thai succeed in creating memorable, dynamic heavy songs, and the willfullness with which they shift from one side of their sound to another speaks to a maturity that one rarely expects and rarely hears from an act that doesn’t yet have a full-length under its belt. Still, if bringing their approach to the level of Seasons of Might is what they’ve been working on these last couple years, one could hardly argue their time has been misspent.
