Like Lychgate, the last band that your’s truly reviewed here at LR, Scythian calls London home. A bit of research reveals that the two are separated by only a couple band member degrees. Scythian bassist/vocalist S. Vrath also fronts Craven Idol and plays guitar in the excellent Crom Dubh. But the real connections start with other current and past members, whom have also spent time in such acts as Lvcifyre, (somehow) Australia’s Razor of Occam, and (less somehow) Greece’s Macabre Omen, through whom you can arrive back in England to Lychgate.
The point of the genealogy? Well, first, it’s fun to go mining through the band member pages at Metal Archives, because surprises are everywhere. And second, to emphasize the pedigree at work on Hubris in Excelsis, Scythian’s sophomore full length. Put simply, this is one of the better black/thrash albums in recent memory, and deserves to be spoken alongside the only albums we have yet received from the aforementioned Craven Idol and Razor of Occam.
Other than these associated bands, the usual sources are all present: Destroyer 666, Aura Noir, that Hell Awaits rippery. Beyond the obvious, however, is the ever-present Bathory influence, and not just one era, but as much Hammerheart as the expected Return. “Apocalyptic Visions” opens with Bathory’s classic electric/acoustic co-strumming, and gets heavy with the bombastic landings; “Three Stigmata” adopts that unmistakeable “A Fine Day to Die” vibe; hell, the whole thing is spiced with the types of chants and rhythms that should be familiar to any fan of the Viking era.
This is not to say that Hubris in Excelsis sounds exactly like a Bathory album. Far from it, actually, it’s just that all those Quorthonian injections are used in a manner that can be traced directly to Bathory (and thus, some of them directly to Manowar…). These additions, and the epic vibe that comes as a result, move the album slightly away from the Cold Steels or Towards Eschatons that it most closely resembles from a straight riff standpoint.
And those riffs… hot DAMN those riffs. If there exists an ace air guitarist in you somewhere, Scythian will bring it out. There is seemingly no end to the scorching, acrobatic, and (most importantly) catchy riffage on Hubris in Excelsis, and Scythian delivers it about as good as any of their stylistic forerunners. Guitars splatter, dance, weave, slide, poke, punch, and explode, while tempo changes and a blast-happy drum performance add a touch of dynamics to the surprisingly nuanced songwriting. To top it all off are the solos, which range from the dying cat Slayer variety in closer “Dystopia” to the tap-happy D666 style heard in “As Tyrants Feast.”
Tyrants feast, and we feast. Hubris in Excelsis has nary a moment that lacks excitement, and keeping that devilish grin down may prove to be quite difficult. New bands beware, Scythian aims to cause a worldwide shortage of riffs by hogging them all for themselves.
