The name MITHRAS has been dropped more than once by yours truly over the past year and a half. For the inexperienced, this UK duo consists of Rayner Coss (vocals, bass) and Leon Macey (everything else). Often described as "MORBID ANGEL on acid", their journey into experimental death metal superstardom started humbly enough under the name IMPERATOR, where they focused far more on ancient mythology and warfare than the space travel drug trip they're known for today. After recording a few demos, they adopted their current moniker and released "Forever Advancing…Legions", a more or less standard death metal effort but with promising experimental interludes. It wasn't until 2003's "Worlds Beyond the Veil" that the entire metal community was forced to take notice. The combination of sci-fi ambience and brutal blastbeats and shredding made "Worlds…" a work of genius that had to be experienced to be believed. It even managed to win over the hard-nosed Brits at Terrorizer, earning a rare perfect score. Fast forward four years and the follow-up, "Behind the Shadows Lie Madness" is finally here, and the big question is this: does it live up to its nearly flawless predecessor? Well, yes and no.

Continuing on the sci-fi theme of "Worlds…", this new release is a concept album about, you guessed it, space travel. The focus this time around, though, is the death metal and not the ambience. The three ambient tracks, "The Journey and the Forsaken", "When the Light Fades Away" and "The Beacon Beckons" are only about two minutes apiece (a far cry from having intros longer than the songs that followed them like last time). With regards to the MORBID ANGEL reference, the main similarity is the B flat tuning and the raw guitar tone that Trey Azagthoth has dubbed "lava". Stylistically, MITHRAS is far more into the grinding death category alongside KRISIUN and NILE, playing at only one speed: fast. Don't expect a creeping track like "God of Emptiness" out of these guys. Where it matters is where they've got it in spades, and that's in both musicianship and songwriting. The multiple layers of lead guitar intertwine in a dark beauty that floats above the machine gun rhythms and throaty growls. Where countless other bands that take such ambitious strides fall flat and sound overwhelmed, everything just comes together for MITHRAS.

So what could possibly be wrong here? Well, the most obvious difference between "Behind the Shadows…" and "Worlds…" is length. We're looking at just under 45 minutes versus the 1 hour and 7 minutes we got last time. Yes, it is just two guys (okay, really just one doing the vast majority of the work), but they have had four years. One can't help but wonder how much these guys could accomplish if they wouldn't insist on doing everything themselves. Even so, the extended instrumentals (the "Sands of Time"/"Search the Endless Plains" combo) and epic tracks (the 13 minute "Beyond the Eyes of Man") are sorely missed. And just like any other masterpiece from any other band, the expectations for progression, whether they are reasonable or not, just don't quite seem to be met. What's more, hints at what might be to come, such as the clean vocals in the beginning of "To Fall from the Heavens" (the only track to have them), might make some fans preoccupied with the future of the band instead of enjoying the present.

To be fair, any band is extremely lucky to have more than one masterpiece in their discography, so judging "Behind the Shadows…" solely on the legacy left behind by "Worlds…" isn't exactly the best way to look at things. In truth, "Behind the Shadows…" still has plenty to offer in its own right. Killer tracks like "To Where the Sun Never Leaves" and "Awaken Man and Stone", along with the overall theme and tone of the album, are still pure MITHRAS. Coss and Macey are still doing what they do and should be commended for not resting on their laurels or recycling "Worlds…". It's also worth pointing out that, depending on the fan, the shorter tracks and album might make the MITHRAS experience a little easier to take. Astronomically high expectations be damned, this is still a kick-ass album that's worth any death metal fan's hard earned money.

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: www.mithras.org.uk

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