Detroit trio Thoughts of Ionesco may have been on my radar during the late-'90s, but like many, I didn't appreciate them until years after they had broken up. For whatever reason, their Deadguy meets All Else Failed meets Iceburn brand of furiously heavy, surgingly intense, and twistedly skronked-out metalcore just failed to click with my unprepared, 20-something mind back then. That being said, I certainly did not expect to receive an email last week touting the band's first new material since 2001!?
"Culture of the Eternal Snake" is, in fact, the second track from the group's new four-song 12" EP, Skar Cymbals, which is set for release toward the end of June via Corpse Flower Records. And if this composition proves anything, it's that Thoughts of Ionesco has not missed a fucking step. Late to the party and therefore not having attached a great deal of nostalgia to their '90s output, I might even argue that this could prove to be their strongest material to date—as frantic and ferocious as ever, and with just enough control exerted over the chaos. Plus, the recording is nice and warm and thick as hell—it sounds absolutely killer, and really allows the unique textural characteristics of each element to shine.
Skar Cymbals is now available for pre-order on red, white, or blue vinyl via Bandcamp or the Corpse Flower website.
"Surprise, we survive," indeed...
