THROUGH MISTS - Hellscape (Album Premiere)

Written by: The Administrator

If this all looks very familiar, it's because it is. About a month ago, we slumbering scribes premiered the title track and lead single to Hellscape, the forthcoming third and (presumably?) final Through Mists album of 2024. Today, we're back with the whole damn thing.

In said premiere, I said the track "wouldn't go amiss as a soundtrack looping through the busted speakers of a funhouse deep in the bowels of Tartarus," and closed by stating that "I can only imagine that demons frolic to music like this." As it turns out, this description also applies to the album at large. This is an abrasive yet exciting ride, chock full o' weird noises and oddities. Hellscape is hellishly fun, but is also a supremely weird and disconcerting listen. Which, in a sense, makes it even more fun.

If you are aware of the Through Mists playbook, you have an inkling of what to expect. If this is your first exposure, prepare thyself accordingly. In that spirit: Hellscape will be released on Dec. 6th, but you can listen to in full a day early. Get a head start on that release day listening marathon below! As always, we'll catch you on the other side. 

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​Can ye smell the brimstone? Do ye witness the cavorting imps and devils and other assorted occupants of hell? This is some wholly unsettling stuff, perilously perched on the edge of chaos.

​Through Mists is a notably eerie act, and on this album, the jittery unhinged nature of James Aniston's composition is full-fledged and fully realized. Musically, Hellscape is discordant and harsh in a way that I can only imagine replicates the experience of hearing extreme metal for the first time. There's a brutality on display that manifests in oppressive atmosphere rather than a hefty tone--indeed, the thinness of the instrumentation feels tense and coiled instead of crushing. The drums are urgent and savage. The wildly versatile vocals are positively blood-curdling and very present, often leading in the mix with an overexposed glow. Even the whispered vocals are aggressive on the ears, sounding akin to a wire brush held against a grindstone. In the meantime, the extensive inclusion of keys across the album lends the whole project a sinister carnivalesque edge. When you mix these seemingly disparate elements together, you're left with Hellscape: a representation of the rawest and skin-crawlingest end of the extreme metal spectrum. I mean this in the most complimentary sense, of course.

Through Mists certainly has a niche appeal, and if you've enjoyed what you've heard thusfar from the extensive back catalogue, this latest will certainly scratch the itch. I consider it the most engaging and unique Through Mists project of the year, which is saying something. If you're new to the Through Mists brand of jarring eclecticism, I can almost guarantee that it will take some time to get acclimated. Hellscape is undoubtably an abrasive and caustic and cacophonous and uncomfortable listen. Prepare to be scorched by this hellish inferno. 

Through Mists - Hellscape will be released Dec. 6th, 2024. Find it here!

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Through Mists can be found:
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