ALBUM REVIEW: Free Me From The Sun – Mist
Returning in 2018, five years after their debut demo, MIST are here again with their new album Free Me Of The Sun. The priestesses of doom, now recognised around the globe with their unique dark harmonies and powerful vocals, are releasing their first full-length album on June 1st. With the combination of their lyrical prowess, touching on themes of nature, spells, and death, you can tell that they are inspired by the occult and deeply rooted in it. This album alone contains many themes and builds upon MIST‘s previous works.
The album starts off strong with The Ghoul, a track consisting of chunky riffs and entrancing vocals really sucks you into the vibe of the band from the get go. All of that, in combination with the ritualistic tempo and electric solo’s sets the pace for the rest of the record. Ora Pro Nobis begins simplistic and calm, leading the listener into a false sense of security. When the rest of the instruments make themselves known, they come barrelling out of the gates with a surprisingly groovy section, trailing into a tasty guitar solo by Blaž Tanšek.
White Torch is a solid track in general, but sadly one of the weaker ones on this album. The most powerful parts of the song include the lead guitar, and the howling vocals presented by Nina Spruk. December is a stand out track, featuring some haunting backing vocals, and lots of tempo changes, it is a much more progressive song than a good half of the album. Not every song requires that, but having one as enthralling as December certainly helps. MIST take a turn for the heavier at the album’s critical halfway point. Altar Of You has everything that makes MIST a stand out band; hard riffs, ethereal singing, mystical guitar solos, what more could you ask for? This is one of the stronger tracks on the record, and right on par with where the band should be aiming for.
Disembody Me is quite a bit different to what we have heard from the rest of this album, taking a lot of inspiration from blues and some of the more groovier genres. Although it doesn’t start this way, by the halfway mark you can feel the classic routes of metal show themselves, with some hefty harmonising between all the members. Their shortest song, The Offering, holds no punches, jumping straight into the meat and gristle of it. Despite the length, it’s got a real kick to it in every regard, knocking teeth out with each oppressive strum. Every step further into the song adds another layer of depth and skill. It amazes and is certainly impressive that they can pull off such a cracking sound in under four minutes of runtime.
After the stunning track before it, Demonized has a lot to live up to. Sadly, it takes almost half the song to recover from The Offering to truly appreciate Demonized for what it is. Delirium is something else entirely, touching on the themes of madness and the lost of perspective of space and time, it certainly begins with a sound that blends realities together. Neža Pečan, Ema Babošek and Mihaela Žitko keep the rhythm and tempo slow and deliberate, emulating the passing of time, while the lead guitar bursts into a frenzied solo, performing a juxtaposition that feels tailored to the themes of insanity. The guitar-work on Delirium is relentless to say the least. Finally, the album comes to a close with the title track Free Me Of The Sun. What a song to finish on as well. The most relaxing and calming start to a track, with a slow pace, melodic guitars accompanying the beautiful vocal performance. While there are some heavy sections of the song, they are only at specific points to enunciate a feeling, then transitions into the calmer parts seen before. The latter third ends the track on a high note, showing off the best bits of MIST, before coming to a close, with stellar guitar work and thundering drums accompanying them.
To conclude, while some of their previous work has stronger songs here and there, overall Free Me From The Sun is an outstanding album. For their first release it really hits home just how impressive their skills are, creating songs such as The Ghoul, Altar Of You and The Offering. MIST have cemented their place in the world of doom, but are set apart from the rest. In part because of the rarity of female fronted bands in the genre, but mostly because their themes are interesting and occult, touching on some aspects of animism and early worship, be it of trees or the sun. Free Me From The Sun is a must have for fans of their work, and those who like JEX THOTH, CANDLEMASS and SAINT VITUS are sure to enjoy this one too.
Rating: 8/10
Free Me From The Sun is out now via Soulseller Records.
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