These Are They - 'Who Linger'

Stripped-down, primal death metal that acts as a more potent version of Novembers Doom.

These Are They is a side-project featuring members of Novembers Doom, including vocalist Paul Kuhr, drummer Sasha Horn, and ex-guitarist Steve Nicholson. While Novembers Doom had its vicious moments in the past, they always fell back on their doom metal roots to produce a gloomy tranquility that sapped much of the aggression from their sound. These Are They’s debut album, Who Linger, throws away any hints of doom and brings intense, uncompromising death metal to the forefront.

The band has a straightforward mindset, sticking with mid-paced death metal in the vein of Obituary and Master. On tracks like “Upon The Doors Of Oblivion” and “The Midnight Hour,” the philosophy is simple; brutal riffs and steady double bass drumming crushing everything in its surroundings. Kuhr’s deafening growls are shards of glass shredding the eardrums, with a harsh bite that, even after two decades, has a lot of power behind them.

Bouts of forward thinking are prevalent amongst the anarchy. “Blood Vengeance” is one of the fastest numbers on the album, but ends with a fragile woodwind flute solo that is about as out-there as the band can get. “In The Halls Of Waverly” and “The Indweller” are epic-sounding tracks that were originally on the band’s first EP, Who Manifest, which came out earlier this year. Clean guitar, melodic tendencies, and soaring lead guitar work are all added to the equation.

Speaking of the guitar work, Nicholson puts in a commendable performance on both rhythm and lead guitars. This is his first collaboration with Kuhr since Novembers Doom’s first album, 1995’s Amid Its Hallowed Mirth, and he steps up his game, handing out chucky licks and shredding solos, with an ear for melody. While Nicholson had been keeping a relatively-low profile since his departure from Novembers Doom, this is his coming-out performance that will hopefully revitalize his standing as a top-tier death metal guitarist.

Who Linger is a worthy addition to any death metal head’s collection, especially fans of Kuhr’s main project. While the album ends on a sour note with a faithful, if insipid, cover of Soundgarden’s “4th Of July” and the use of clean vocals on “The Indweller” sound out-of-place, the quality of the rest of the album keeps things afloat. These Are They is a band that knows the precise ingredients to a good old-fashioned death metal song, which they use on Who Linger to cook up slabs of sizzling recklessness.