Thy Kingdom Slum – A History of Dissent EP
Label: Self-Release
Release Date: February 17th 2018
Windsor Ontario is a city with an underrated music scene. It is, in fact, a bastion of great metal music, as the influential and beloved Metal Nation Radio hails from that town, and there is a plethora of really talented and underappreciated metal bands. Thy Kingdom Slum is one of those hidden gems of a band from Windsor, and their new EP A History of Dissent is another release that the city’s metal community should be proud of.
A History of Dissent is packed with good songwriting, and solid performances. Unfortunately, the album suffers from a poor production sound. The tinny sounding snare, the lack of sustain from the cymbals, and an over all thin drum sound is indeed unfortunate, because the drummer knows just what the music needs for him to play. Metaphor heavy lyrics lead the well-written hook laden songs.
“Reign/Black Flags”:
A good ringing chords build up, a stop peaks the intro, and leads into the first verse. The main riff is reminiscent of early Black Sabbath. A song with a big ending that would translate well live, this is a good opener.
“Master Plan”:
A great riff leads the song over the verses, and the whole piece is upbeat with a Monster Magnet/Soundgarden feel.
“5EVEN”:
A bluesy rocker, this song could have benefited from a better mix, as the rhythm and lead guitars seem to clash. The chorus is memorable, as it sticks in your head. The lyrics are visual and the allegory paints a picture.
“Not Your Enemy”:
I love the chorus, and as a whole, this is the ‘biggest’ sounding song, with the best guitar and vocal mix on the album. At this point in the EP, you start getting hooked on the singer’s voice, like a raspy James Hetfield. A song I’d look forward to live.
“Presence of Mind”:
This song is a highlight on the album, the riff in the latter part of the verses is seriously infectious. Given the title, and the chorus’s ‘tick tock’ lyric, the song conjures up images of the Salvador Dali painting “Persistence of Memory”.
Thy Kingdom Slum seems to have the bluesy metal songwriting under control. The mix and master defer the good songs away from their full potential. Notwithstanding the aforementioned fact, these songs could belong on active rock radio.