 Thine
- "In Therapy" Peaceville Records 2002 Thine are a band that haven't, in my own personal opinion, received the attention they deserve. Their previous record, "A Town Like This" from 1998, was a masterpiece of melancholic atmosphere, a work of dark, meditative metal. It affected the listener in both the emotional and the intellectual sphere, whilst still providing technically perfected music and some rather original elements - especially vocal - wise. At the time when I first heard Thine, I immediately placed them side by side with the great masters of British melancholy, such as My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and especially Anathema. That comparison still works for me when it comes to their latest release, "In Therapy". Like the aforementioned bands, Thine have - for this record - slightly "softened" their musical approach, however, the message in the music is just as intense. Well, when it comes to "softening" the music, nothing beats Anathema's "Judgment" or "A Fine Day To Exit". In Therapy still sounds harder - and drives the message of psychosis and assorted types of psychological pain further into the unsuspecting listener's brain. All you have to do is give it a little time to sink in. Study the lyrics, maybe... The music is in a medium to slow tempo, backed by subtle and complex drumming, much closer to those great British psychedeliacs Pink Floyd than any metal. At its lightest, the beat approaches the more alternative recordings of the mainstream northern - British rockers like The Verve or Oasis. That is just about as commercial as the overall sound gets, yet only from time to time. The genre transcending is well - integrated into the band's unique style and the depth is ever-present. Echoing guitar wails - present with many British alternative rock and doom metal acts, yet with a Thine-ish twist here, take us through the psychosonicscapes of a suffering mind. The occasional synthetic effect blends in perfectly. The vocals are well suited, sometimes in chorus, sometimes single and desolate as if in an empty room of a mental asylum - slight echoes apply perfectly. The singing stile is unmistakably Thine. It's what sets this band apart from all the others. Sometimes half-spoken, sometimes sung in a harmony... you have to hear this band's vocal approach. Only at this point can you decide whether it's actually suited to your taste or not. Not good or bad, but rather unique. The only thing that I personally missed was the really deep singing, which enriched the previous record even further. Personally, I'd recommend a dose of Thine to anyone. Some of you might not like it, but you certainly will further your musical experience - whether you want it or not. As for those, who liked the more experimental My Dying Bride, Anathema or Paradise Lost, this is a step forward into that unique psychomelancholicodelic direction - go get it! All in all, a great piece of work, "In Therapy" deserves your attention.
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