Review: Tethra “Like Crows For The Earth”

Tethra “Like Crows For The Earth”
Sliptrick records

Now in journey for searching Metal bands we’ll go to northern Italy. Band’s city of origin calls Novara and its roots are (what surprise, ah?) in ancient times. It was Romans who found this. So it’s as plain as day that there’s many interesting historical places. Anyway, Novara always was and still is important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin and from Genoa to Switzerland. Of course in ancient times destinations (except Mediolanum – today Milan) was different. By the way, this city lays between the rivers Agogna and Terdoppio in northeastern Piedmont,

Okay, but let’s back to main topic which calls TETHRA. The band was found in 2008, but from its first line up there’s only vocalist Clode Tethra (Claudio Passeri).  The main founder Belphegor (Mario Plumari) left the band in 2014. Anyway, he’s all the time active musician and plays in Death Metal band HORRID which he was also founded in 1989. Well, it doesn’t mean that other of musicians is greenhorns! Two of them have long or even longer experience when it’s about playing in band. Gabriele (guitar) and Salva (bass) haven’t it, but I doubt that they started their adventure with instruments shortly before joining TETHRA.

As on nine years of existence their discography is very miserly and except just reviewing full-length enclose only EP “At the Gates of Dom” (2010) and debut album “Drown into the Sea of Life” (2013). Reasons are for me rather mysterious since there were only few changes in line-up. But nevermind! “Like Crows for the Earth” contains eleven mostly modesty long songs – with two exceptions (I don’t count intro and instrumental ones) they take more than six minutes. Music is rather calm and in slow tempo. Well, it’s calm in our Metal meaning because most of riffs are heavy and played ballsy as well. In this context I agree with description which guys use: Death/Doom Metal. I can’t “see” any difference between them and riffs used in Melodic Death Metal and they’re surely heavier, more predatory than most of so called Folk Metal (at least these bands which I heard in my life). Drumming is of course also in slow tempo and calm. But it’s also variable as well and even if there’re no cosmic passages, changes of tempo – it’s very interesting. Lorenzo makes it as ballsy as Luca and Gabriele play guitars.

Claudio who’s experienced vocalist with experiences in several sub-genres of Metal use both clean voice and growling as well. I didn’t count it of course, but I think that proportion between both styles of singing are more or less fifty-fifty. Somehow especially his deep growling (even if he does it variously, there’re moments when it connotes with hysteric way of Black Metal’s one) connotes for me with some English band which recorded for example “God Is Alone”. Bassist makes his job well, too, and this is quite well hearable.

To sum up, this is an ideal music for someone who wants to take a break from listening to extreme brutality, but still want to deal with something Metal. Of course fans of mentioned above band and other ones which come to mind automatically when we’ll only mention this name will be very satisfied with listening to “Like Crons for the Earth”! Well, this title also strongly connotes in my sick mind with this based in Halifax band.