LITOSTH is a black metal band from Brazil who formed in 2016. “Cesariana” is their third full-length album. Actually, it is a one man project from Maicon Ristow (I GATHER YOUR GRIEF, SWORDS AT HYMNS) who plays all the instruments. According to their Metallum page, Wendel Siota (SWORDS AT HYMNS, DARK CELEBRATION, I GATHER YOUR GRIEF) writes the lyrics. “Cesariana” is definitely an atmospheric and melodic album but still retains the fiery intensity and raw nature of black metal. The songs vary in tempo but mostly stick to a lighting fast tempo or a mid-paced crawl. Regardless of how the songs are approached, they all sound similar to each other.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing per say; none of the songs are bad. However, despite their melodic and atmospheric tendencies, there isn’t much in the way of variety or dynamics. This might not bother some people, as these qualities really are subjective. With all that being said, when the songs are firing on all cylinders and the flow between guitars and keys hit just right, the songs can be quite majestic and sweeping. The album starts off with “In Waves,” and its keyboard laced beginning that only lasts for a few seconds before the rumbling roar of black metal comes charging in. The vocals are solid, very throaty but intelligible to a degree. In between the stanzas, when the songs are allowed to breathe for a bit, the keys/distortion meld perfectly together.

The middle portion of the song is where it gets exciting, riff based structures with a little groove and the keys gliding over them make for a smooth duality. Unfortunately, this moment also reveals a problem with the album: the middle portion of the songs are often the best moments, with the beginning and ending of the songs a bit of a trudge to get through. “Time Doesn’t Heal,” starts off solid but the song didn’t really grab my attention until it was closer to the halfway point. Here, the melodic guitar settles into a movement that lines up with the guitars and it's quite striking, especially with the blackened vocals screaming over the notes.

Some of the songs such as “A Ofensa,” and “The Argonaut” offer a solid listening experience but nothing more than that. Neither are bad songs but nothing overly exciting happens in them either. Ultimately, that is how I would describe the album as a whole. I’ve heard a lot worse but there just isn’t enough here that is really grabbing me. The final song “The Vaccum Extractor Paradigm,” redeems the back half of the album. The keys have an urgent energy to them and the music takes on a desperate quality, as if it is a race against time. The melodic movement around the four minute mark is catchy and I loved how it built itself back up in layers. The vocals around the 5:05 mark are the best on the album, they sound pain filled and emotional.

All in all, “Litosth,” offers a solid experience but not much else. It is definitely worth giving a couple listens but it won’t stick around for long.