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Album Reviews : House of Thumbs – Home

By on September 4, 2013

942215_10151457204038590_1563386613_nFirst things first, it should be noted that House of Thumbs’ third release, Home, hits with about the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the face. Right off the bat there’s a clear influence here from bands like Gorguts and Soilwork, both in the vocal style, the double-bass onslaught provided courtesy of Tommy Rossel, and the production value.

Being their second EP, and their third release overall, House of Thumbs has released an EP of insane, crushing mayhem. Combining elements of grind and black metal vocal styles, breakdowns, atmospheric melodies, and the twin guitar attack of Nick Lord and Jake Mormile; Home is an ambitious EP to say the least.

That being said, there is fair bit about this album that feels rather lacklustre at parts. Opening with the track, “Stigma”, House of Thumbs relentlessly blasts through four minutes of unadulterated death/grind – with a very clear and raw thrash metal sound to the record also. Trailing into “P.I.G.S.”, I must admit, I felt a little underwhelmed by this point, especially of Linden Audino’s vocals of which sound painfully forced at times.

Understandably, this is a release where you can tell the rougher production quality and raspy vocal style was intentional, but it doesn’t quite blend as well as it should with the one-two attack of the drums and guitar, which is the standout of this album.

“InkBlot” marks an interesting changeup of style from the previous tracks. While not immediately noticeable, the subtle synchronicity in the guitars and drumming complements the harsh vocals quite well here, and builds an engaging atmosphere.

Home is a release that shows promise, but there is much room for improvement here with this band as well, with closing tracks “Home” and “Maelstrom” feeling not all that different from what’s already been shown. The overall rhythm and melody of Home stays relatively the same throughout the EP, with little progression or experimentation to be seen. Granted, while that isn’t necessarily a bad thing in itself, it does make this EP feel at times monotonous and belies what I’m sure the band is capable of.

Band: House of Thumbs
Album: Home EP
Year: 2013
Genre: Death metal
Label: Independent
Origin: Melbourne, Australia
facebook.com/houseofthumbs

Track list:
1. Stigma
2. P.I.G.S (People I’d Gladly Slaughter)
3. Ink Blot
4. Home
5. Maelstrom

About

Jonathon is an aspiring fantasy/sci-fi novelist and music journalist. Thanks to the influence of the music he grew up with, he has always possessed a keen interest in metal and rock. He is also a huge fan of mythology, legend, and folklore from all across the world. You should follow him on Twitter.