Born from the legendary Novembers Doom, These Are They formed in 2008 when vocalist Paul Kuhr and ex-guitarist Steve Nicholson got together to jam. They added Earthen guitarist and bassist Michael LeGros and Wiley Wells, respectively, and drummer Evan Berry, who would later be replaced by Tony Bettenhausen. At The Feast Of Seven Funerals is their third full-length album after Who Lingers and Disposing Of Betrayers, and proves to be a wild ride, start to finish.
Unlike Novembers Doom, These Are They have no time for acoustic guitars or clean vocals; every song on the disc, from “Hell Rides At Dawn” to “Buried Neath The Willows,” is heavy-hitting, fast-paced, and full of impressive drum technicality. One example of this is in “Hangman’s Knot,” in which Bettenhausen effortlessly changes rhythms mid-measure, throwing in various cymbal accents and fills that could throw off the best of percussionists.
At The Feast Of Seven Funerals once again sees These They Are experimenting with various forms of extreme metal, this time going for a traditional death metal sound, which can be heard in “Penelope Dies” and “Buried Neath The Willows,” incorporating furious tremolo picking, blast beats, and chromatic riffs.
Death metal is a niche market, and the guys in These Are They have more than shown their ability to play with the big boys of the scene. This album displays a controlled chaos that only years of experience could produce, and proves to be a frenzied trek through the haunted forest that is death metal.
In A Word: Berserk
