This Self Titled effort from Brazilian melodic Death Metal band THYRESIS is their first full length release since their inception in 2006, having previously released a demo, "Journey Beyond Infinity". And this band has certainly got big things in their future, going by the quality of this album.

I couldn't help but be reminded of AMON AMARTH whilst I was listening to the album which, of course, is a very good thing. It makes sense considering the album was mastered by Jens Bogren, who's also worked with AMON AMARTH, PARADISE LOST and SYMPHONY X. The production in this album is very good, very clean, but still keeps the heaviness that is important to the music. It is brilliantly mixed, with the instruments being very prominent, as well as the vocals being very clear - well, as clear as Death vocals can be. Seriously though, it's a very well put together album, especially for a full length debut. One interesting thing to note is that two of the songs ("Broken Home" and "Thyresis") feature excerpts of a speech by infamous serial killer Charles Manson. This a concept album, revolving around (in Victor Hugo Targino's words) 'an organization of ideas about the world based on our (and mostly mine) personal experiences. I wanted to take part of what I felt and lived, and expose it as a critique, but in a positive way, with the intention of overcoming hard times'. This explains it a heck of a lot better than I ever could. They also wanted to give meaning to the word 'Thyresis' - facing life whilst overcoming barriers - instead of it being just another band name. So just by that, you can see the amount of thought and feeling they put into not just the album, but the band itself.

And what a band they are. Targino's vocals are brutal, but convey their feelings well, along with his awesome work on the bass. Rufino and Borsero are both very accomplished guitarists, bringing Thrash, Traditional Heavy, and even some Power Metal influences into the mix. These all work very well together, with Melodic riffs, and brutal hooks captivating the listener from start to finish. Pedrosa's drumming is heavy, and galloping and simply amazing. If I'm honest, there are not really any criticisms I can give to this album. 6 out of the 15 tracks are instrumentals, and they really do illustrate just what talented musicians these guys are. "Silent Monologue" proves to be a perfect opener to the album, giving you just a little taste of the awesome music that's in store for you.

If I could only say one thing about this release, it would be that everyone has to check it out. Don't be put off by the melodic Death label, there's enough of other elements in there that (for people who don't really like that sort of thing), it's not an hour long assault of furious instruments with even more furious vocals. The album is awesome, and I cannot wait to hear more from this band.