Earth Ground is my first meeting with Polish act Thaw, but there seems to be a first album, called Decay, released in 2010, and a second one, simply called Thaw, in 2013. Apparently the band was able to perform live on stage with notorious acts like Altar Of Plagues, Behemoth or Jarboe, so they are about to become quite a noticeable name within the Extreme Metal scene.
This third album was produced and recorded by the band at Radio Katowice Studio and Maq Records Studio, with mix done at Satanic Audio and mastering at Audiosiege Mastering. The cover lay-out is pretty apart, I mean that I would never guessed this stuff would deal with a Black Metal release if I based my opinion on that drawing alone, logo and title included. But that’s just fine, I think, because the experimental and open-minded approach of Thaw’s music might welcome this distinctive kind of visual art. So does the aural part, you see…
The partly live-improvised album consists of eight titles with a total running time of forty one minutes. It starts with the short instrumental opener First Day, which brings an atmospheric yet, basically, rather minimal Sludge melody based on one single riff. Yet still it’s an ear-catcher! As from the next track, Afterkingdom, Thaw show their teeth, and they’re bloodied and razor-sharp, believe me! Afterkingdom combines mega-Sludge with spooky Doom-injected Post-Black Metal, covered in a mostly apocalyptic atmosphere. There is quite some variation in structure, but the speed too varies a lot, combining fast and hammering parts with slow-paced ones. Towards the end of this song, there is some electronized noise too, strengthening the post-nuclear approach of Thaw. And believe me if I say that this track wasn’t just a lucky shot. This devastating Aural Art goes on by means of the other compositions. All tracks, without exception, are an experience themselves, coming with a recognizable sound, which strengthens the cohesion of Earth Ground. A ‘song’ like Second Day, for example, isn’t but some guitar-noise, assisted by grinding drums, but it fits to this album’s concept. Besides, the whole album sounds both organic and mechanical at the same time (listen and you’ll understand), thanks to the gargantuan and colossal production.