Written: 8th August 2024
Formed in the Autumn of 2020 at a school for sixteen to nineteen year olds – The Academy of Music and Business in Vara, near Gothenburg, Sweden – Thermality have already released an album (Before I Get To Rest) and an EP (Tales From The North) and with the launch of The Final Hours on 16th August 2024, are ready to take the next step on their journey.
The Final Hours opens with the melancholic, acoustic instrumental MMXXIV. An understated beginning, it highlights the natural interactions between guitarists Noel Hoflund Jonsson and Walter Hamilton. However, as the first second of Weeping Angels hits, it is clear we are suddenly in a very different world. Covering themes of isolation, fear and the struggle for inner peace, this and second track Thorns of Salem are perfect examples of where the band sit in their evolution. While both tracks have an inherent aggression, there is plenty of room for melody and interesting rhythmic structure. Vocalist Ludvig Sommar’s delivery is full of intent and Thermality open the album with two tracks that have an enticing appeal.
Having originally started out as a thrash band, Thermality – before the release of their first album – adopted an approach far more akin to melodic death metal. Fire Will Reign hurtles ahead during its verses but the quintet are learning to vary the tempos within their tracks and this variation makes the song more stimulating. There also appears to be an increasing confidence in their guitar solos that litter The Final Hours, not all of them relying on mere speed. Via the sound effects of a crackling fire and a spoken word section, Thermality continue to draw in the listener. “Only ashes remain / It destroys everything that lies in its wake / It’s alive, you can’t run nor hide.”
Stranger, the first single from The Final Hours, offers something different from the tracks that have come so far, beginning with jangling synths and developing a combination of rapid-fire riffs and slower stripped back sections with half-spoken, half-sung lyrics and melodic guitar. Although they are, without doubt, progressing as a band, their influences cannot be denied. Songs such as Stranger, are clearly heavily inspired by albums such as Clayman by In Flames. Windigo – which in small sections betrays the bands thrash roots – and Clones – another track full of In Flames type motifs - display the belief Thermality have in their music, happy as they are, to play with varying introductions and to give songs the time to develop naturally.
As The Final Hour progresses, and much as Thermality play with an infectious verve and not insignificant talent – such as the dextrous guitar work in Forsaken, for example - there is a feeling that during the central part of the album, nothing truly unexpected happens and the quintet have settled into a comfort zone of sorts. Songs such as Nightfall, Guardian and The Hunter and The Nightmare (despite the insertion of the band playing a snippet of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony) continue much in the same vein as what has gone before and with The Final Hour’s running time of close to an hour, it may have been wiser to have included two or three fewer songs which would possibly have negated this.
Final track, the two-part Divinity, rectifies this to a point, and sees the return of slightly extended moments of acoustic guitars interweaved with faster, intense sections during which drummer Hampus Sätterlund gives his best performances on the album. Lyrically, much of The Final Hours examines themes relating to the search for meaning in a chaotic world and Divinity is no exception. Part 1 is dystopian in nature conveying a sense of hopeless inevitability, while Part 2 finds the introspective protagonist expressing the need for purpose and direction. The dual part track does hint at a more original approach and ends the album well.
On The Final Hours, Thermality have shown that they are band that is becoming more assured in their own abilities. Massively redolent of In Flames’ albums such as Clayman, Reroute To Remain and Come Clarity it may be, but the band are still young and have plenty of time to inject more of their own personality into their music. Fans of In Flames, Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy and even Amon Amarth, will find much that appeals to them and despite the obvious influences - and notwithstanding becoming a little bogged down in the middle - The Final Hours has some exceptionally catchy moments and for the most part, is an enjoyable album. Already in the process of writing their third album, it will be fascinating to see where Thermality go next, as they are undoubtedly skilled and have great potential in their chosen field.
The Final Hours is released on 16th August 2024.
Thermality online
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