The Body and Thou

You, Whom I Have Always Hated (2015)

I withdraw my question.

When members of different bands join their colleagues on stage or in the studio, one of two things happens: the listener appreciates seeing a third party perform with the band, and it’s exciting to see what they add to the mix, or the listener is outraged the band they enjoy so much would dare welcome that third party aboard. Even then, the high or low feeling dissipates as the next song comes on, and the complimentary or frustratingly foreign sound is removed. Hardly ever do we see entire bands come together and collaborate on a complete EP or LP, though. When two sludge drenched doom metal acts, The Body and Thou, decided to join forces for a two part venture, Released From Love and You, Whom I Have Always Hated, it was easy to foresee two storm fronts colliding and forming a thunderous monster of sound.

You, Whom I Have Always Hated is the second half of the two bands’ efforts, picking up intensity and vitriol from where the first EP left off. “Her Stronghold Unvanquishable” starts with the droning beat of drum thuds and squealing guitar distortion, sounding like a runaway train, attempting to stop with brakes screeching, yet it only gains speed, soon accepting impending doom. Leading the grating, unshakable shouts is Thou vocalist Bryan Funck, continuously welcoming pain and misery. His deeper sound is offset by rooster-like shrieking from The Body’s Chip King, acting like a hype man, reiterating Funck’s distraught messages.

“Beyond the Realms of Dream, That Fleeting Shade Under the Corpus of Vanity” is the halfway point, exemplifying grim lyrics, as one would expect from such a title, and the best use of joint vocal delivery on the EP. It is the most episodic, and least droning track, showing the bands’ abilities to include more diverse elements, a point further strengthened by the 2 minute, 16 second experimental, instrumental interlude of solace, “He Returns to the Place of His Iniquity.”

Finishing the collaboration is “Lurking Fear,” which lets fuzzy distortion and slow drum beating drown out vocals, sinking deeper and deeper, shuffling angelic bellows and sounds in and out, and eventually all music drifting away. It’s like the bands exhausted themselves, and had no choice but to finally accept the rest they so lengthily fought. It would be nice to see more bands of all genres make new music together, instead of just putting single tracks on a split. Is there a risk of too many cooks in the kitchen? Of course, but The Body and Thou deserve acknowledgment and a fair bit of praise, being able to contrast one another enough to distinguish their group work from individual projects. There are moments where the two sides overlap, clashing out of place at times, which is understandable, and arguably unavoidable in a joint effort of any kind. It’s exciting to hear something different, especially in the realm of extreme genres. With two sludgy powerhouses behind it, You, Whom I Have Always Hated will toss your head around and punish your eardrums, whether you like the idea of artists collaborating or not.