- ITUS
- Primordial
- doom metal
- March 23, 2020
- 8/10
It’s very rare that I cover EPs on this site, I’ve only ever done 2, there just typically isn’t enough content for me to stretch into a full review, so when I do cover an EP, trust me when I say it’s something special. Today we have a smashing debut EP from Canadian doom metal band ITUS!
This EP is shrouded in a dark and eerie atmosphere from the instant you put it on, but despite that very consistent vibe, there is a lot of variation going on in the lyrics and sound. The production on here is immaculate, these riffs are just enormous, they swallow you whole… Just how I like my doom! The guitar tone on here is very thick and murky, the bass lines just pound in those heavy moments, it’s so satisfying. There’s also a good bit of eerie off kilter ambience on here that just gives the project a sinister feeling to it.
We get a variety of vocal styles on here, and each is performed very well, from haunting whispers, to ominous clean singing, bellowing screams, and straight up gutturals. The musicians here have roots in death metal, and it shows. This thing gets outright brutal at points, but there are definitely calmer moments to balance it out.
Since we do have so few tracks and so many varying themes and sounds, I’m going to stick to the theme of doing things I rarely do and do a breakdown of the tracklist. We kick things off with the track “Cloud Reaper” which I feel is a perfect balance between their heavier and lighter sounds, starting out with a crushing riff and some clean vocals before the screams crash in. Lyrically, it’s an ode to smoking weed. The second track “Question Everything” is definitely the darkest song on the EP as it opens with creepy atmospherics and unsettling whispers while ending with a throttling riff and deadly screams. The lyrics are pretty apocalyptic.
ITUS: Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram
The title track is up next, there’s a certain suspense to this track that keeps you on the edge of your seat while it progressively gets heavier and heavier until it erupts into a face melting solo. This song is about coming from the innocence of youth to the evil world around us, something we can all relate to. The next track “This Can’t Be” is certainly the least heavy song on the EP as it takes on a more somber tone, with a melancholic doom riff, passionate clean vocals, and lyrical themes of feeling worthless. This track also ends with a sick solo. Finally, we come to the closing track “The Chaplain” that has a lot of drone textures amidst a weirdly catchy riff before everything crashes down on you for one final crushing doom metal showdown. This songs lyrics are based on a sci-fi war game called Warhammer 40k.
This EP shows tons of promise for this band, this was the last release I heard last week, and I honestly heard nothing else worth reviewing on the site, but man this just clicked with me, and I bet it’ll do the same for you. Seriously, the riffs alone are worth listening for! Definitely going to be the EP to beat this year.
8/10
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