Review by Alex on November 4, 2020.

The German one man disaster providing the machinery behind Necrochaos has steered this project somewhere in the spheres of death and black metal with a debut recording titled Crawling Through Cadavers. Originally released digitally and eventually found the support of the magnificence that is Godz ov War Productions, the 3 track demo demolishes with everlasting effect and as such has justified its move to a physical format. Note that the CD version put out through Godz ov War Productions has an additional 2 tracks that were either recorded before or after the original digital release. Either way, they hold up well in comparison with the rest of the album.

Judging by the artwork, I was not expecting death metal this fast, in fact, on the contrary, death/doom is the first thing I thought of when presented with the cover. However, on Crawling Through Cadavers, the vast majority of the instrumentation is attired in a fiery death metal with an added taint of black metal to reinforce the darkness this being has managed to conjure with such devastating efficacy. The indecipherable vocality, the production and just the militant movement of the record is impressive when you factor-in how all this is being handled by one man. Lots of one man metal out there, however not many bring something to the table that is interesting or even worthy of a listen.

The 21 minute maelstrom of malignancy is comprised of 5 tracks, all of which strike like purple-heart timber to the nuts. Mostly on the aggressive side of things (with some doom lurking around) with the kick drum being quite audible and the guitars mixed at a level that allows for clear resonance, yet a slightly distorted tone can be heard crawling-around in the backdrop for a bit of that chaotic feel. There's some amount of technicality to be heard in the drumming, particularly on 'Engulfed in Chaos' that goes well with the guitar solos and leads that mesh with the vocal torrent of project engineer Eugen Kohl (Gnev). Altogether summoning a multifaceted display of dread. I also was made aware that Gnev is involved in a wide range of metal bands none of which have crossed my radar until today, hence the evident experience and influences are broadcasted through his playing on Crawling Through Cadavers.

I hope there's more to follow from Necrochaos, with songs like 'Disgrace is His Law' and 'Caves of Void' embodying a tumultuous yet mystifying aura, Crawling Through Cadavers has somewhat set itself up for major expansion both instrumentally and thematically.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by David on February 13, 2005.

Mithras’ first album Forever Advancing… Legions was a fairly uninspired rehash of death metal in the Morbid Angel-type vein. With their new album certain quarters have hailed them as the second-coming in a somewhat overly dramatic display of hyperbole. There’s no doubt it served its purpose, after all you know of the band now don’t you? But is it really “all that”?

Put succinctly, no.

Worlds Beyond the Veil is an album that wants to be greater than the sum of its parts. It wants to be a meandering epic, a cosmological explosion of giant proportions. Sadly it’s let down by certain elements that seem integral to its style and aspirations.

A six minute, dreary intro doesn’t start things well. It’s functional in as much as scene setting, but taking six minutes to do something that could have been done in two or three is just plain over-indulgence. When confronted with the death metal element things start to fall down even more. Whilst obviously technically adept, the duo kills their music stone dead with a lousy mudslinging guitar sound. Interesting thrash riffs get dragged down into a mire of sludge where all but the most contrasting notes are pretty much indecipherable. Think earlier Morbid Angel playing in a sewer with the lackadaisical “song-structuring” of their Heretic release. Then we have more dreary cosmic sounds to contend with.

In contrast, the ethereal touch lent to the music by the lead guitar sound is perfect at evoking atmosphere. The technical prowess of Leon Macey’s drumming and guitar work should have people crying into their cornflakes that someone is possessed of such a talent. And when the guys put together a coherent (if slime-drenched) song like "Lords and Masters," then the magic really does come to town with the express purpose of glassing you in the face.

This one comes down to another case of a band reaching for the stars but shooting themselves in the foot on more than a few fronts. I suspect, with time, Mithras will release an album as grandiose as their vision, but this one isn’t it.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 4
Originality: 7
Overall: 5

Rating: 6.4 out of 10