LP Review: "Stone and Skin" by Thera Roya

Stone and Skin

During the holidays, and as of this writing the following statement is still applicable, there are mountains of leftovers.

In my family, there was Christmas Eve which is attended by nearly one hundred people, New Year's Eve, and we even had a special Boxing Day fancy dinner...my good twitter followers saw how that shaped up.

During this time of year, the Post-Holidays as it were, there's all those leftovers.

From December 25th to today, the number of meals my family's eaten of holiday leftovers....well that number is incalculable. In fact, my lunch today consisted of beef brisket, ham, and turkey on a hoagie roll that I wrapped up into a single sandwich. All of those meats were from a holiday party.

So, in the chubby, post-holidays, we eat and eat...and continue to eat. It's also conceivable that we're eating something that's a bit of a pile up.

Thera Roya

So...Thera Roya huh?

Sludge/Post-Metal...based out of Brooklyn.

Anybody else want to smoke an American Spirit or is it just me?

These guys don't make it easy for someone like me to get into their tunes. Aside from my least favorite genre descriptor, post, they don't open their album with a song that's really representative of what they do.

As the record spins, you'll find yourself wondering what it is that they do. What is a Thera Roya song? What is the Thera Roya sound?

They'll probably be glad to know that I have no idea.

Stone and Skin is as much what it is as what it isn't. It's not an Iron Maiden record. It's certainly not based on the Tampa Bay Death Metal, but it is progressive and it is extreme.

Shrill, emo screams coexist with beautifully sung vocals and demonic growls. Emotional guitar solos share time with rumbling basslines and brassy chords.

In the end, Thera Roya is a musical group who has chosen to traverse far more musical ground than the average group can do. That's what keeps this fresh and interesting. It's not likely that anyone who hears this will enjoy 100% of the passages, but those with broad minds will find themselves really digging the record as a whole.

Release: 2/17/17
Genre: Sludge/Post-Metal
Label: DIY
Formats: Digital
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