9 tracks – Duration: 36 min. 14 sec.
THEOPTIA is a Swiss progressive Death Metal one-man project which is said to be influenced by GOJIRA, MESHUGGAH, and TOOL. For some reason, early OPETH (Orchid & Morningrise) comes to my mind too. THEOPTIA’s debut album Horeb got recorded at the Carnivore Studio in 2015 -the sound is top-notch- and got released in 2017. The record consists of 9 tracks, 2 out of which are instrumental.
Intriguing sitar-passages reminisce of the way NILE, MELECHESH, ORPHANED LAND, and AETERNAM would cleverly deploy ethnical instruments. One can only admire how Emmanuel technically controls a Swiss army knife of music instruments with Swiss precision. Instruments are ranging from guitar, bass, sitar, percussion to synths – just impressive! His vocals alternate between understandable growls, slightly GOJIRA-alike grating screeches, and spoken words & whispers. The guitar section is groovy and contains few chugga chugga MESHUGGAH riffs, melancholic leads, and acoustic interludes. At times you even get submerged in dosed atonal, weird, jazzy, experimental passages.
The lyrics deal with depressive thoughts and the divine. The former is well-reflected in the often despondent air of the music, yet let it be music that heals the soul. The sober cover art portrays the mountain Horeb, also known as Sinaï, on which Moses received the Ten Commandments.
Open your mind for some rather unique and varying Prog Death. Head over to THEOPTIA’s website if you would like to obtain your copy of the diverse Horeb. Do make sure to participate in the IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign to support THEOPTIA recording the new album Undead Gods. Smell the potential? Nów is the right time!
7.8 out of 10 skulls
THRONE OF ABSENCE 