Mefitis - The Skorian//The Greyleer

Mefitis is an extreme metal band from California, who formed in 2007.  Their latest album “The Skorian//The Greyleer” is their third full-length album; they have also released two demos.

According to their metallum page, the band is described as “dark metal.”  Going into a bit more detail from such an ambiguous term, I could easily see their music being labeled as death, black, and even Gothic.  Regardless of what genre you want to lump them into, “The Skorian//The Greyleer,” is an adventurous extreme metal album with a lot of detail to it. 

This album certainly isn’t an easy listen at first.  It flows very well and with a run time of just under 42 minutes across 8 songs, it isn’t overly long either.  But it’s dense with a lot going on.  Sometimes these details are more obvious with a direct approach but, at other times, the band doesn’t have any issues taking a more subtle approach.  

Personally, I like music like this and this was a fun album to dive into and explore all its intricacies and details.  There was obviously a lot of care and thought put into this album and it paid off in a big way.  

The production/mix helps with the enjoyment.  Despite all that is going on in the album, every instrument is balanced against the other one.  The songs never sound cluttered or convoluted, either.  

The album opens with the explosive “Vire’s Arc,” represented by the pulsing bass and insanely tight drumming.  This is a more blackened metal oriented song, complete with abrasive screams and an underground feel to the atmosphere.  But subtle keys and tempo changes keep the song fresh and exciting, focused on its desire to be not quite the focused composition for the listener. But it’s so good that you’ll want multiple listens anyway and it will begin to reveal itself over time. 

That’s really the key for the album, too.  It demands multiple listens because with each session, I discovered more and more intricacies that made me (happily) fall further into this rabid rabbit hole. 

“The Untwined One,” opens with a massive Gothic feel but moves forward to a death metal oriented style.  At this point, it is clear the band doesn’t rest on any one moment for too long and is more than satisfied with presenting this song (and each song) with multiple angles from which one can listen. The use of clean vocals is fantastic, never taking away from the extremity but adding to the layers. The melodies near the end are catchy, providing an engaging hook to grasp upon.

Speaking of melody, the band dives headfirst into it with the opening seconds of “...And the Mason Wept.” But the urgency builds up, just bubbling underneath the surface as it’s cooked to  froth with the drums.  The melody returns at the halfway point–it sounds unique, kind of old school yet Gothic and just theatrical enough.  

One of my favorite songs is “Wanthriven,” due in no small part to the opening, blackened grooves. The keys latch onto them perfectly, both instruments becoming one.  This opens the path for the Gothic cleans to make their presence known—so impressive how this song flows so smoothly even while offering so many soundscapes.  Of course, that is indicative of the album as a whole, too. But on this song it works exceptionally well.  I love how the bass builds up a hypnotic rhythm too, subtle and catching me off guard. 

The final song, “The Greyleer,” is the shortest on the album and seems to be the most straightforward.  However it isn’t any less engaging.  The fast paced rhythms and the clean vocals couldn’t be more different yet they couldn’t compliment each other any better.  Their usage makes the extreme vocals all the more biting, too.  

All in all, Mefitis’ “The Skorian//The Greyleer,” is a highly complicated album without actually sounding like it’s all that complicated.  It’s smartly written, deceptive music that will provide many great listening session if you have the patience to dive in and discover its many wonders.