Ohio is known for producing some of the hardest working bands in all aspects of Rock N Roll. There isn’t the glitz and glam of LA or record producers at the smaller shows looking for the next big thing like in NYC, so everyone works just that little bit extra to get releases out there. Cleveland more specifically has become the heart of gritty, heavy music in the Midwest. The Cleveland bands are becoming heavier, louder, and more brutal than ever before. Prime example, Thou Shalt Not and their style of Blackened Death Metal that leans more on the Satanic themes of Black Metal, with the crushing riffs and driving rhythm of traditional Death Metal. Their latest release Sanctuary of the Vile is a ferocious departure from previous works. The shift has been away from the musical elements and vocal style of Black Metal (while keeping the themes and ideology), and into the technical playing and annihilating tone synonymous with the most ruthless Death Metal.
Sanctuary of the Vile opens with “The Hooded Ones” and it in no way eases into anything. Straight away heavy riffs and devastating beats cause sneers and head banging along. It commands attention and holds on tight. This album launches with an absolute ripper, and never lets off. “Witches Among Us” keeps that unrelenting heaviness but adds some unexpected groove. There are still chunky riffs and and harsh vocals, but the rhythm has more flow vise in your face insanity. Title track, “Sanctuary of the Vile”, starts slow and sludgy, but builds to blistering speeds sure to raise some blood pressure. The phrase “There is order in chaos” comes to mind as the tempo and chord changes are rapid, yet patterned. The closing solo has an early days of Extreme Metal feel to it (think classic Thrash meets Old-School Death Metal, squeals and tremolo a plenty.)
“Will of Infinite Strength” is fierce and sudden, but settles into a sludgier, more deliberate old-school brutality. The lead guitar playing and too short solo will leave listeners wanting more. There is a decently well known viral video out there of a brick getting thrown into a running washing machine, and that easily assumed result is how it feels listening to “Cleansing the Decay with Blasphemy”. It is unrestrained and violent with a killer main riff. It is a heavy-hitting true example of absolute Death Metal. To close Sanctuary of the Vile, “Swine You Are” is just as commanding as the five songs before it. Thou Shalt Not have a clear model and they stick with it: as brutal and heavy as possible without devolving into noise and absolute chaos. The riffs and squeals just keep coming.
This heavier, and more refined offering from Thou Shalt Not, is a progression in sound from their raw, bludgeoning, Blackened Death beginnings. The band spouts being “True Death Metal” and that description is unquestionably true. Sanctuary of the Vile is available now on CD from CDN Records, and digital on Bandcamp. Thou Shalt Not is working on plans for some summer shows and will be playing OHBLITERATION Fest 2022 in June.
