Depressive Black Metal legends Thy Light have returned with the release of their first batch of new material in eight years with the 2021 self-titled EP. Thy Light started their journey in 2005 but it wasn’t until the 2007 demo, ‘Suici.De.pression’, that their true talent was felt. This demo is lauded as one of the best if not The Best example of Depressive Black Metal in existence. Rather high praise to live up to and a lot of people feel they failed in reaching that height on their actual official release, ‘No Morrow Shall Dawn’ released in 2013. Yet I feel they were just misunderstood. For I feel like they were making a shift, a shift I think they further cemented with this new, self-titled, release.
And what is this shift, you may ask? Well, I feel, and the music here backs me up, that Thy Light are changing course into more of a Atmospheric Black Metal band. One that still has a good understanding of their Depressive beginnings but also understands what and where they want to go with their art. Where many of the hallmarks of their Depressive side are there but they are now part of a bigger whole that builds and falls, peaks and valleys, that are the calling cards of the Atmospheric side.
Does this shift, growth, equate to anything? I would say a resounding yes. Thy Light have taken the best of both worlds (subgenres), combined them into one homogeneous unit and made some real interest in keeping really good Atmospheric Depressive Black Metal. Does it live up to the classic status of their demo? No but it doesn’t have to, it is it’s own entity and that entity is really damn good by itself.
