Brooklyn favorites Thera Roya have finally done it, they've put together an audacious live record, one that can't help but to charm the listener and which speaks to a sort of antediluvian power that drives this scene forward. As much as the dudes in the band might be just nice guys who live in Brooklyn there is a sort of otherworldly power to their latest offering Stone And Skin. Perhaps this comes from the fact that the record was recorded in isolation in the woods, maybe it comes from the sheer torment of being a metal band in 2017, maybe it's something else, all I know is that Thera Roya have been making a name for themselves in recent years as a tough act to follow and one whose emotional breadth goes far beyond what many of their peers could even dream of. A band created to emulate a panic attack there is something utterly mind-warping about Stone And Skin that speaks to something very human inside of all of us.
I think part of what I find so endearing about Thera Roya is there unwillingness to conform to genre conventions. It means that Stone And Skin is far more free form than the creations of many of their peers, and this organic power helps to make it easier to truly get lost in what's being done here. While the band certainly needs to develop their sound and tighten up the execution, the raw and live in the studio feel of this recording pays a fitting homage to the groups DIY roots and reminds us of all that is fit to come from these guys. The entrancing magic of the droning guitars and crunching bass lines of Jonny Cohn, slowly plowing their way through tracks like 'Egypts Light', can't help but to leave the listener agog. The band bills themselves as post metal but I don't really see that always being the case. They are bringing far too much into their sound to call it just that, which is both a boon and a curse.
As is though Thera Roya bring a lot to the table and they know it. When I first discovered these guys a year and a half ago opening for Cult Leader I couldn't help but to be impressed by the sheer anguish demonstrated in their playing and the multi faceted vocals of drummer Ryan Smith. While they certainly at times seem a little bit limited by their roots they also seem to be pushing towards a bolder future. They want to take the origins of punk rock madness, the sound of the bands roots shine through, but Thera Roya can clearly be so much more. This is a band pushing to expand the frontiers of their genre, and certain experiments come across stronger than others. As is – I think by honing down their sound and emphasizing how wonderfully out there they can be whilst simultaneously touching on their earthy magic they could get a place in this scene for decades to come.
Score: 8/10
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