Thlipsis - Servants Of Apathy

Thlipsis hail from Greece and this four piece are starting off 2025 strong with a new EP entitled “Servants of Apathy.” As the band’s name translates to ‘sadness’ or ‘oppression’ it is only fitting that this short 3 track album is dedicated, according to the band, to the people to Palestine and their history of oppression. A rather humanitarian and fresh approach to Black Metal, a genre that is rather lumped into the ‘evil’ and ‘misanthropy’ category when it comes to music, so it is nice to see another face aside from Blackbraid out there taking a stab of re-steering the genre along with so many others. For those who have not heard these guys before they create a sound that is a mix of much older Behemoth meets Seth or Spectral Wound. It doesn’t rely on symphonics or atmosphere too much but delivers extreme melodies via guitar and howling, emotionally charged vocals that sound nearly as pained as Xasthur but not as raw.

Balancing the line between ‘kvlt’ and melodic, the title track is charged with tremolo picking galore from guitarists/ vocalists Felix and Tumultus along with machine gun fire drumming from N.D. Basswork from Reactive hums along in the background, but despite everything being heard and balanced, it also feels like the sounds are competing for each other too. There is a bit of that Punk rhythm from Dodsferd in there too (and perhaps a nod to him with the title of the record label). The distortion is limited and gives way to other surprises like the muffled choirs in ‘Lament of a Dying Land’ which lean to some Rotting Christ influence as well. Here the band slows down a bit and showcases more of their more melodic side- especially when it comes to the guitar solos- but goes right back to thundering fury on the final track. While the vocal deliveries are pretty straightforward in the Black Metal sense, sometimes the deeper more barked style breaks the monotony and helps differ from the other shrieks, but it is utilized more in the first part of the album than the last.

Overall the EP is brief but a good dedicated album and continues what Thlipisis does best as far as creating straightforward music with little frills. While not as progressive or wild as some of the other bands out there, the message is clear and the music still enjoyable while not relying on all the usual tropes of the genre. Expect more melodically charged works from these guys in the future when the next full length album comes out.

3.5 / 5 STARS