The juxtaposing contradiction that is Mithridatum’s debut album Harrowing makes it surprisingly difficult to reach a conclusion.

The Willowtip release sees the newly formed trio (featuring former members of Abhorrent, The Faceless) jockeying with a myriad of other bands in an ultra-saturated landscape that is just begging for a group to come along and shatter the mold. As such, it’s nearly career suicide not to stand out from the rest (unless you’re AC/DC).

 

Curiously, the five blackened/dissonant death metal tracks eat up thirty-six minutes. Though by no means an automatic blemish in this case, ‘Silhouette’ wanders for over a minute of unnecessary dilly-dallying to close out. Don’t get it twisted: instrumental music can, and often is, complementary. But with less than a half dozen songs, it probably would have served the record well to make the most of the time allotted to it.

 

‘Sojourn’ fails to inspire aside from a respectably desperate, vulnerable, corrupted output via Geoff Ficco. Otherwise, the opening track is lackluster. After having beaten the proverbial dead horse, allow for Harrowing’s positives.

 

Lyle Cooper provides restless, jittery stampedes on the kit, and ‘Mournful Glow’ acts as a canvas for guitars to melodiously spelunk, creating distinctly unique riffs. Looking past the bloat on ‘Silhouette’, the track reveals gaudy bursts of guitar rhythms tamed by hellacious, pained cries.

Lastly, brief spurts of catchy, inspiring harmonies (‘Lower Power’) positively contribute, but unfortunately, Mithridatum’s roadblocks all but mar the bright spots found on this record.

 

To wrap up this conundrum, the band’s name refers to the concept of injecting oneself with poison at low levels in order to develop an immunity from said poison. Far be it from Harrowing being considered a “poison,” it does need some work – and perhaps the ability to quit while the band is ahead.

Buy the album here:

https://mithridatum.bandcamp.com/album/harrowing

 

6 / 10

MATT COOK