EP REVIEW: River Red – Thurifer

Releasing their debut self-titled EP back in 2022, THURIFER have at last brought their follow up release with new EP River Red. The debut had a lot of impact within the music itself. Infectious and groovy guitar riffs and an impressive array of different vocal styles while having room to grow their sound even bigger to create something truly epic. 

River Red charges off from the word go. Distorted Dream starts with a low riff designed to knock any listener off their feet, with booming guttural vocals for added measure. This band clearly has a reverence for MASTODON and they don’t try to hide it. Much like the debut though the strength of this band is the variety of vocals and musical passages throughout. After Distorted Dream’s huge beginning everything drops down to a more spacey and open clean section with more ethereal vocals. Both extremes are equally engaging and counterpoint each other perfectly. When one style takes over there is an air of anticipation for when the next shift is going to occur. It rounds off with a catchy anthemic chorus before punchy guitars conclude.

Beginning in stark contrast, Seven is when the THURIFER’s skill at sombre ambience is in the forefront. Hypnotic musical passages create space for more enchanting vocals. The rising intensity that allows more intense vocals to slot in is masterfully done creating a song that somehow begins low and delicate and grows into something more epic without the listener even realising until the intensity is at its peak. Witness is the clear highlight of the whole package. With a catchy yet eerie first half that draws from the ambient tension akin to TOOL the listener is pulled in before brutal downtuned riffing dominates the second half. The many ideas that River Red manages to pack into songs that are much shorter than your typical prog rock track is undeniably impressive.

THURIFER showcase a lot of powerful moments on River Red’s five tracks. They take the complexities of progressive music from bands like MASTODON fuse it expertly with anthemic rock hooks showcased across a short and sweet package. THURIFER felt like they had room to grow after the debut and River Red certainly shows the band pushing their sound even further. Any fans of riff filled and anthemic rock should eagerly await where THURIFER go from here.

Rating: 7/10

River Red is set for release on May 30th via self release.

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