Forever Advancing...... Legions

It's possible that "Formulas Fatal To The Flesh" would have looked like this if David Vincent had remained in the Morbid Angel lineup. It is possible, because the story turned out differently, and a few years after Vincent left the Angels and the discussed Mithras had a strong interest in playing like Trey Azagthoth's band. Anyway, look at the line-up of the band, just two musicians - Leon Macey and Rayner Coss (okay, there is a guest appearance of Ben White in a few songs), and they recorded a much better cd than the Morbid Angel themselves after 2000.

To make it more interesting, the duo did not split in a classic way, i.e. guitars/vocals - one person, drums - another. Both of them had a slightly different idea. Well, Leon decided to embrace guitars and drums (as well as keyboards in interludes), combining in an extremely interesting way the virtuosity of Azagthoth and Rutan and showing his talent in blasting in the style of Pete Sandoval (sometimes even further away from him, e.g. plays closer to brutal death metal bands), while Rayner took on bass and vocals, with the latter doing the greatest job, offering a relatively low, but very clear growling similar to David Vincent.

In practice, this is even better than you might imagine. As an example, here you can indicate any proper song, "Tomb Of Kings" (a big hit!), "Wrath Of God" (a great reference to "Where The Slime Live"), "Dreaming In Splendor" (first departures into "cosmic" death metal), "Sloping Altars" or "Vae Solis". Actually most of the tracklist of "Forever Advancing......Legions". As for the disadvantages, there are not many minuses on the Mithras debut. You can indicate the sound (a bit outdated) or nonsensical instrumental additions (of which there were as many as 4), but they are not bothersome enough to weaken the whole album. Mithras has created his own, very interesting vision of morbidish death metal on "Forever...". And at the same time it showed that it was only the beginning of something great.

Originally on: https://subiektywnymetal.blogspot.com/2020/06/mithras-forever-advancinglegions-2002.html

In 2002, at the time when I was preparing the release of the second issue of my fanzine, I got a CD from the unknown Scottish label / band. The label was called Golden Lake Productions and they just released a debut album of Mithras called “Forever Advancing… Legions”. I still remember how great impression this album did on me; I even decided to interview the band asap and really, really considered them to be one of the best death metal bands around at that time; one which can easily rival the masters of the genre. Yes, it wasn’t an exaggerated opinion… This band – led by two amazing instrumentalists Leon Macey and Rayner Coss – showed some absolutely amazing skills, composed truly brilliant album and what’s more, even if certainly they did take some influences from two or three legendary death metal bands, they also managed to create the material, which was different and in the end more original than your usual death metal record. Yeah, “Forever Advancing… Legions” did fuckin impress me. The album was later re-released by Candlelight Records, but somehow I cannot say that Mithras really got the attention they deserved. Unfortunately I doubt many maniacs know this band… well, maybe this review will introduce you to this really awesome band and it will force you to check them out. If not, then go and listen to Bieber until you go deaf.

So, what’s all the fuzz about “Forever Advancing… Legions”? Well, think about the albums from such bands as Morbid Angel, Nocturnus, Nile, Luciferion, After Death (plus it also reminds me Polish Lost Soul from “Immerse in Infinity”, although Mithras couldn’t hear this album, as it was released few years after “Forever…” hehe) and now try to get something new out of these influences, with the concept based around the Ancient Rome and christian crusades and you’ll be there! “Gladiator” is one of my favourite movies of all time, “Kingdom of Heaven” as well, so it was kind of cool to finally listen to an album with the lyrics based on these parts of history. And Mithras did really awesome job here, constructing a twelve song album (with 46 minutes on the clock), which brings many great surprises and truly is like a travel in time. I think that the opening song, which is a damn monumental, heroic intro, already puts the listener in the right mood – and I can compare this intro only to the best epic movie soundtracks, with the exception that Mithras added some lunatic guitar leads in the background. And then BANG – “Trample Their Works” erupts with great aggression, fast and relentless, with some splendid riffs and truly incredible vocals (including some clean vocal parts here and there)… this song alone can give you an idea for what Mithras music is like; massive, technical riffs, great atmosphere, furious tempos, but also a lot of diversity and finally those guitar leads! Damn, Leon Macey is such a talented guitarist (and drummer, as his drumming is also really damn awesome and very precise, very technical, with lots of cool parts). With “Sloping Altars” the tempo doesn’t slow at all at first, but then killer Morbid Angel-esque riff cracks before another cannonade of ultra fast death metal starts… but it is “Arena Sands”, which really shows the whole potential of Mithras – very unique, technical death metal song, but with many varied parts, from fast to really slow and epic and even a bit of more ambiental stuff. This song may sound strange to some of you, it may be almost too experimental and too complex, not just musically, but also with its structure, but give it few listens and I dare to say you’ll love it.

I have a feeling like the album was split in two parts (first being about the Ancient Rome and the second deals with the crusades, at least this is what I understand from the lyrics) and the two instrumentals, which are tracks number five and six are the end and beginning of the chapters. Again you’ll hear bombastic, kind of movie soundtrack, orchestral motifs and I must say that such break in the middle of the album does work well for “Forever Advancing… Legions”. After that we have such excellent songs as “Wrath of God” (slower, very similar to “Domination” era Morbid Angel) and “Dreaming in Spendour” and I have nothing to add; the band left me speechless. Really, they recorded some incredibly awesome songs here, I just love the guitar work, especially leads and harmonies on this album – Trey Azagthoth would probably die in jealousy if he ever heard them. The final effect is even better with quite unique production of “Forever Advancing… Legions”. All in all, I must say that if you’re into “Domination” LP, as well as into Nocturnus, Hate Eternal and all the other bands, which I have mentioned in this review then you just must get yourself a copy of “Forever Advancing… Legions”.

Standout tracks: “Arena Sands”, “Sloping Altars”, “Wrath of God”

Final rate: 90/100

Impeccable. Infallible. Remarkable. Ground-Breaking. etc
Revise the stupid dictionary all you wish, throw "meaningful" words into the wind as much as you want in your average, pitiful daily life. No words really do it justice, and I promise you, when I use certain words to describe this Music, I am NOT throwing anything into the wind, I can assure you. I often hear wankers say things like "Death Metal's not what it used to be", "All these new bands, what a load of rubbish". When I hear this crap, I really wish people would search a bit further than the end of their noses before making such dull claims and shitting out such worthless statements. Especially as Death Metal never has been better than now (my opinion).

Firstly, the title track, is a 4 minute long instrumental intro. Has that majestic, "the king is being carried down the isle" type build-up feel to it, heh. The "king" being the fantastic Music that is about to hit you whilst you are obliviously sitting there like the gormless dork you are. There are a few ups and downs in tempo in this intro, to build up intensity, I suppose.

When the song drops into the next song, 'Trample Their Works', the drums roll, then the vocals and a hard hitting, brutal Death Metal sound out of nowhere smashes you. This lasts a good 30 seconds. 30 seconds of sheer intensity, probably too much for many ears. But the tempo change soon after and the discreet little pinch, wow. I think Mithras are at their most brutal in this song, making it obvious that after the 'majestic' type intro, they wanted to be at their most brutal and intense sounding. But for all this song's brutality, after the second major shift in tempo, with remarkable effect put on the backing feel to the vocals, 1½ in and the solo is pure tranquillity. Don't think you'll ever find a wankey type, annoying and pointless solo from Mithras. Then the 'effect' type vocals come back in entwined with the same tempo shift that had earlier been used. wow, mastery musical arrangement has hit Planet Earth. What Planet are you from, Mithras? Welcome.

Third track, 'Sloping Altars', has a fascinating combo of great intro and time changes galore, and was that a discreet unnoticed pinch I heard there too for extra hidden rapscallion appeal? I think so. Very fast tempo throughout this song with another gem of a solo mid-song.

Track 4, 'Arena Sands', slower intro to the song, as far as the riffs go, but the backing blasts are still apparent. Then fuck, great interchange of riffs. Vocals come in, total breaks in the drumming, giving a sparse, but very tight feel. Then a very discreet bit of solo guitar work is thrown over the top. Then before the 1½ minute mark, the song breaks completely. No more Metal. Just a pure spacious sound of tranquil effect. Very nice. Then a minute later, the Metal is brought back in, but in a very simple manner. Brutality starts up again around the 3:00 mark. The vocal effect and pinch harmonic combo is great. Vocals eventually eluding and leaving you to appreciate the pinches. What a song.

(Now, for me, this is where the true genius starts. From here to the last second of the LP)
Track 4 drops perfectly onto track 5, 'Amidst The Fallen Arches', which is an instrumental, which after a short melodic intro has that same majestic feel that the LP intro has, of the same caliber, but not of the same style. This is more beautiful and experimental, where the intro was more simply an atmosphere builder to the first track to come. They cheat a bit here, after 2 minutes, it becomes track 6, 'The Green Wanderer Returns', which is just a carry on from track 5, but it's not important, up to them if they want to make it the next track or not, doesn't affect the Music. At this point of the LP, you actually realise, SHIT, not only do Mithras make very, very intense and very good Death Metal, they are also pushing the "Experimental" boundaries. All in one. Brilliant.

After all this calm instrumental type music simmers down, they smash you with the intro to track 7, 'Wrath Of God'. Which initially crunches in then is basically a cluster of very catchy down tempo guitar work and rolling blasts and simple drumming, with the odd break for a totally over the top (but exceptional) pinch harmonic. A truly remarkable moment of this LP. Soon to follow, a brilliant entry of vocals roaring "RIIIIIDIIIING FOOOOOOORTH!!", like finding that missing piece to that jigsaw, and might I add, absolutely brilliant lyrics to this song, also. Death Metal not often respected or pointed out for having good lyrics, but this band, to add more cherries to more cake tops, have EXCELLENT fucking lyrics. After the first set of vocals, when the next set of vocals come in, the vocals are a lot lower in sound, more guttural (but not stupid) as opposed to a wailed roar. This whole time, the tempo has always remained pretty slow, which is a change to the other "Metal" songs on the LP. Just short of the 2:00 mark, Leon Macey (who has fast become a total guitar virtuoso), hits you with his best solo yet. Truly brilliant. Which then soon drops back into the crushing vocals. Which theeeen drops back into the truly majestic intro, which stays the same, but ANOTHER fascinating solo is played over the top and continues to embarrass all other Heavy Metal CDs that may be laying anywhere nearby. The solo stops and the song slowly fades out. And to think, the speed of the song and main tempo didn't change ONCE all song. What a band.

Track 8, 'As The Wind Blows', very calm Egyptian/Middle Eastern type intro on guitars here, with simple taps of the cymbal. The Metal starts around 0:35, after a few cymbal hits to let you know the Metal is coming, heh. This breaks into a really simple part as the vocals come in creating a steady sound. But on the final roar of vocals from this 'steady' part of the song, 1:20 in and they employ this almost 'Wrath Of God: Part II' moment, it actually sounds like they've taken the down-tempo style intro from the previous song, 'Wrath Of God', and made it more crunchy and put it in on this song. And I think they know fully well what they're doing here, fully intentional. For me, a truly fucking remarkable moment the way in which they match it up with the previous song. Vocals join this tempo, which end, to lead the way for a very discreet, Middle Eastern style moment which is followed by a GENIUS 5 second discreet solo. Then the slower tempo is slowed down even more, with added Pinch Harmonics every 4 seconds for fantastic effect. Song stops just before 3:00 to lead the way for a total climate change, sped up now, with sparse drumming and added intensity. Minute later, the slower tempo comes back in brilliantly, vocals back in too. Again, goes slower to once again greet the harmonics which then lead into another fan-fucking-tastic solo. 5:12 onwards on this song is a true moment of musical genius. 5:34+ peaks in Musical Beauty. Sure this isn't Pink Floyd?

Right, track 9, 'Vae Solis' and the band are back to their fast and intense Death Metal best. :40 in and a lovely little guitar part to add to the hyper music. Tempo change over a nice growl a near minute later. Very discreetly genius musicianship all throughout this song. Majestic feel to the song after the 2:00 mark, fantastic feint backing vocals are added soon after. Probably his strangest solo yet soon after the next tempo change, but it suits this strange song. The song stops dead on the 4:00 mark and:

Track 10, 'Dreaming In Splendour', starts up straight away, it almost sounds like it is a continuation of the last song, like the break was intentional and the song started up again, goes very well. This song stops 1½ minutes in for a mellow, simple break, followed by very impressive vocals in a speech like fashion uttering these words:

I RISE
I SOAR
I AM
EVERLASTING
to which the drums come in and it's a really fantastic moment on the LP. Beautiful guitar work, which perfectly harmonizes the rhythm. Which drops onto an intense backing with a brilliant guitar solo over the top. The song outro is truly phenomenal.

Track 11, 'Tomb Of Kings' starts with a seemingly 'hectic' guitar part which drops excellently (once again). Cheeky little pinch harmonics soon follow. Vocals have a real raspy and evil sound to them when they come in. More fantastic tempo change and guitar work to follow. Time change galore. Fucking hell, wow @ the out of nowhere tempo change and solo on around 3:35. The way the song stops is cool, too.

The way the LP ends is with an instrumental track, 'What Lies Beyond', which is, much in the same vein as the LP intro, this is basically a great outro, very creepy and eerie, almost like saying; This is the mess we have left on your mind. etc, etc


A truly remarkable piece of Music. Total proof that modern Metal is fantastic. Go and fucking buy it.
GO!

Why, oh why, aren't there more bands like Mithras? While most of the shit passing for death metal these days is simply a mindless effort to out-gore and out-brutalize everyone else, Forever Advancing… Legions is an epic, atmospheric, and totally furious album.

Make no mistake, this is incredibly brutal DM. But Mithras manages to *gasp* INNOVATE in an ever-more stagnant and hackneyed genre, while still retaining its hateful, bludgeoning essence. The first thing the listener will notice is the production. While most modern DM acts have a very heavy, dense production, FAL has a clear, light, metallic sound that creates a forceful, militaristic atmosphere. The guitars are standard warp-speed tremolo picking with lots of reverb. The soloing deserves special mention. They're soaring, echoing, and almost… happy-sounding. I don't know too much about music theory (and I'm probably wrong about this), but I suspect the guitarist is soloing with major scales. In any case, the solos are impeccably played and fit extremely well with the music. The drumming is inhumanly precise and fast- I thought at first that a drum machine was being used. The snare drum and cymbals are higher in the mix than the toms and kickdrums- they sound like swords clashing on armor, and aid immensely in creating this album's martial atmosphere. The vocals are a hoarse, midrange-to-low growl. They're nothing incredible, but are a refreshing change from the gurgling, grunting, and burping vox that are all too common these days.

Scattered in between the "normal" songs are short, relaxing atmospheric synth pieces. Rather than breaking up the flow of the album, they serve as a respite between the brutal stuff and keep the album from dragging or inducing a headache.

In conclusion: Forever Advancing… Legions is a death metal masterpiece. It's as swift, deadly, and polished as a headsman's axe, with atmosphere and personality to spare. If you're a fan of br00thurl goresludgepornocuntgrinding deffth metuhl, this album definitely isn't for you. But if you like your DM complex and intelligent as well as furious, then you'll want to pick it up ASAP.

A turbulent birth... a triumphant return.

When Mithras' debut album, "Forever Advancing... Legions" broke through the walls of its bleeding womb... it was unjustly cast aside by a metal media more concerned with heroes from afar. Technically brilliant, crushingly brutal and remarkably otherworldly...it was just too much for the tastes of the average British brute, more driven by the sound of tin-can snares and chainsaw guitars to admire the atmospheric majesty of Mithras.

After an imperial intro in the form of the title-track, The powerful onslaught of "Trample their works" hits like a hellstorm. The drumming is furious, the riffing bombastic and the overall effect: Absolute Aggression. If any song could be said to truly advocate its own teachings, this is one. You WILL trample their works...to fucking dust. "Sloping altars" does nothing to cease the momentum. Not only does it continue the rampant brutality but it unfolds the atmospheric complexity of the band with unusual scales, odd rhythms and fantastic solos.

Guitarist/Drummer Leon Macey, is sometimes cynically referred to as "Trey Junior" but in my honest opinion he is one of the few musicians in modern metal who has almost blatantly forged his own ideals, quietly boasting a new approach to extreme metal and guitar in general. There may be a more obvious salute to Morbid Angel in this release but it is no more than that. A salute at an impossibly high speed with an uncompromising sense of boundary-breaking originality. This is clear in the monumental "Arena Sands". With a bludgeoning introduction, masked by the cheer of the collosseum, the song progresses with snake-like twists and turns, a tranquil keyboard interlude and a return to a climactic parade of heaviness which alternates from ear to ear.

Another highlight is "Wrath of God" a crushing anthem which describes the barbaric First Crusade of 1092. With pleasing double-kickery and an eastern melody laden with crunch and pinch-harmonics, this is easily my favourite track on the entire album. Much slower than the rest, it bears a strength unmatched as the powerful throaty screams of Bassist/Vocalist Rayner Coss, preach divine retribution and cry out for the victims of religious atrocity.

Pleasingly, the Candlelight remaster of "Forever advancing...Legions" makes Rayner's anglo-saxon roar (often overlooked) much more audible than its previous incarnation and his well composed lyrics ring clear in the face of the storm. If there is anything negative to be said about this album... I could say it in a single phrase:

"It's a bit much."

This is a ferocious and confusing assault on the senses and many I have shared it with have been unable to comprehend its glory without a few extremely careful listens (and a cup of tea!). It is also produced unusually to garner a god-like, imperial feel. To paraphrase Leon: If you're looking for "crisp-packets and bumblebees" (fizzy guitars and stone-dead drums) and catchy, generic death metal... then fuck off. Seriously, this is not for you.

"Forever advancing... legions" bears the mark of an excellent metal release:

The need to listen.