Album Review: Tithe – Tithe

This Portland, OR based metal trio is heavy handed in all possible ways. From their obscene cover art to their badass lyrical themes, this band is outrageous. No wonder their self titled EP was released on 04/20 of 2017. This is stoner metal if I ever heard it. What many would consider a “bad”trip, I would consider a “dark” or “morbid” trip. Instead of getting scared, I learned to enjoy the macabre images of my subconscious, and try to find meaning in it later.  The gruesome yet chill music is like finding the calm within the chaos, making peace with death and other fears.

The album hits the ground running with Punch Nazis, a straightforward knockout song that shows where the band stands. I think we can all agree with the message behind this track, as well as appreciate the combination of blackened death metal with stoner metal.  This track alone exhibits elements of stoner rock, doom, death, and death metal subgenres. Interestingly, most of the tracks open with creepy intros. The first track, Punch Nazis, was the only song without the extremely grainy and distorted voice recordings. Who has time for that when there are so many Nazis who need punching?

The mutinous jam Perfidy has scathing political and social commentary in the lyrics. Whether you agree or disagree with their strong political beliefs, you got it to hand it to them for  being outspoken, brutally honest and blunt (heh.)  The music is also very dissonant and inharmonious, making it sound like experimental music. The complex musical techniques are impressive, including elements like syncopated beats.

This musical versatility would pervade throughout the entire album, while also reeking strongly of  Black Sabbath’s classic doomy riffs. Another defining trait of Tithe was that the band have no qualms about controversy. The third track, Slave, is another sociopolitical commentary, while the final song, Extinction, is about mankind’s self-destructive end.

The current line up consists of guitarist/vocalist Matt Eiseman (Infinite Waste), bassist/vocalist Damon Kelly (Heathen Shrine, Stoneburner), and drummer Kevin Shwartz (Infinite Waste, Forgotten Gods). Check them out on Bandcamp and listen to their self titled EP, Tithe. A blend of several different metal subgenres, this is a worthy cross strain to add to your album stash. Three stars out of five!