SUN OF THE SUNS bring together the melody of GOJIRA with the solid grooves of MESHUGGAH and the brutality of FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE.
Coined as a scary, groovy relentless machine, SUN OF THE SUNS are an exciting new force in the extreme metal scene and their new album, TIIT, proves their worth.
Described as a Sci-Fi concept album, TIIT is based around an intelligent and thought-provoking tale set in a future, dystopian and contaminated Planet Earth.
The intro to the band’s debut album, I Demiurge pt.1. opens with soft, atmospheric guitar tones forging visions of galaxies and wormholes before plummeting into chaotic riffs and blast beats.
Next, The Golden Cage blesses us with ear-achingly heavy riffs reminiscent of Bleed by MESHUGGAH. Yet the progressive elements of the track are more comparable to TESSERACT and PERIPHERY, adding interesting texture to the mix.
Despite the technical complexity the band have managed to deliver so far, Luca Dave Scarlatti’s vocals are a prominent reminder that this is definitely an extreme metal album.
Fans of WHITECHAPEL and RIVERS OF NIHIL will revel in Scarlatti’s harsh growls which truly come into their own as we approach the midpoint of the album.
Obsolescence Corrupted features plenty of antagonistic growls which are complimented by the crushing drum sections.
The album’s only instrumental piece, To Decay to Revive, gives listeners a break from the edge crushing grooves with tantalizingly soft melodies.
We then resume to normal programming with Flesh State Drive. Although the song features an epic, lengthy guitar solo, the drums are front and centre here; with insane time signatures that are sure to make any drum player’s hand’s quake in fear. You might even be reminded of FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE’s iconic blast beats, and it’s no wonder as drums on the album were provided by their very own Francesco Paoli.
Hacking The Sterile System is one of the heavier tracks of the album with more focus on groove than melody. Whereas Of Hybridization And Decline utilizes all elements of the record, serving as a showcase of the band’s musical talent.
Finally, we reach I Emperor of Nothingness, a seven-minute, cinematic masterpiece. While the title alone is enough to cast visions of gruesome dystopias, as the song progresses, it becomes even easier to lose yourself in deliciously dark visions of an apocalyptic future.
As you come to the end of the album, it’s all to easy to find yourself in a reflective state of mind, pondering over the insanity that you’ve just experienced.
Is that to do with the fact that the album speaks of the apocalypse and the decay of human life on earth, a thought that maybe crosses your mind every so often given the current state of affairs? Or could it be that you’re trying and failing to pinpoint an album you’ve heard in recent times that sounds quite like this one?
For a debut album, SUN OF THE SUNS have managed to achieve an envious musical complexity that many other bands fail to deliver upon until their third or fourth offering.
What makes the album even more exciting is the sci-fi concept as it truly brings the songs to life, giving them individuality as you get lost in the story. But individuality, or lack thereof, is also the album’s primary downfall.
It’s clear that the band have worked hard behind the scenes to establish a unique sound, but outside of that core sound, there’s not much experimentation, which seems odd given the progressive nature of the more melodic tracks.
Having said that, this is extreme metal, and fans of extreme metal generally want one thing: tumultuous carnage, and SUN OF THE SUNS certainly provide that.
Yet, like PERIPHERY and TESSERACT, SUN OF THE SUNS manage to bring a strangely beautiful emotional tone to the album that is not often found in extreme metal, and that is possibly what defines this album best.
Rating: 7/10
Words: Megan Taylor
TIIT will be released 20th August 2021 via Scarlet Records.
Find SUN OF THE SUNS on Facebook.
