SONG PREMIERE: U.S. Doom/Post Rock Band A Province of Thay

Seattle’s A Province of Thay may not be a band you may have necessarily come across before, as their debut full length ‘The Grieving’ snuck under the radar when it came out back in the fall of 2013.  Nearly three years later the group is preparing to release their newest album ‘Atonement’, which will come out on October 28^th, and it’s worth paying attention to if you’re a fan of everything from doom to gothic rock.  Today we’re bringing you an exclusive premiere of the title track, which spans eight minutes and builds up to a dreary yet inviting climax.

In a similar manner to some of the doom and post rock bands out there, the instrumental work on Atonement builds slowly and adds layer upon layer as it drifts forward.  A Province of Thay skews more towards the mellower side of the spectrum than some of the others out there, giving off more of a dreary melodic doom or gothic rock aesthetic throughout their material rather than gravitating towards crushing intensity.  That’s not to say that there isn’t some weight behind their performance though, as the drums and bass fill out the bottom end of the sound, but the emphasis is often on the airier melodies created by the guitars and keyboards.  It creates a sound that has the sorrowful, gloomier tonality of melodic doom and gothic rock while also stretching out to reach some of the soaring climaxes of post rock.  The band pulls the rising and falling of the instrumentation with ease, letting the melodies hover over your speakers with a wistful presence before building them up into crashing waves of haunting leads.

Though the guitar and keyboard melodies have plenty to draw you in, it’s likely to be Ronnie Spite soaring vocals that capture your attention as you make your way through Atonement.  There are moments where his voice reminded me quite a bit of Junius, though the performance here is a bit more direct and not quite as drenched in effects.  Like the best bands that touch upon the realms of melodic doom and gothic rock, A Province of Thay demonstrates a firm understanding that their singing should ramp up in intensity alongside the rest of the band, and by the time Atonement reaches its climax Spite’s voice sounds like its soaring far above the clouds and coming to you from the sky.  This type of performance only helps to draw you in to the material and the narrative the band has to weave, and it’s an element they use to their advantage throughout the album.

With a little bit of goth/alternative rock, post rock, and melodic doom all merged together, A Province of Thay makes a strong impression throughout ‘Atonement’ and will put you under their spell with their somber melodies that suck you right in.  Turn the volume up, turn the lights off, and let yourself get lost in this one.  ‘Atonement’ is out on October 28^th.

A Province of Thay