"Complex, inspired and exploratory this is the kind of boldly
cinematic death metal that demands to be relished. This is truly astonishing,
world-class music." Dom Lawson, Kerrang! Dec 2003
"another stratospheric masterstroke of extreme-metal transendence...
an incontrovertible enrichment to extreme music" Oliver Holm, 5.5/6
Zero Tolerance 2007
"a mind bending reach towards the inexplicable..." Jonathan
Selzer, 8.5/10 Terrorizer 2007
"this is the work of an uncompromisingly original act... the sort of
album that requires a thesis rather than a titchy review to expound upon its
many virtues" Tommy Udo, 9/10 Metal Hammer 2007
Open your eyes... awaken your senses...
Gaze carefully upon a bleak dimension of blastbeats, savage frequencies and shattering vocal expulsions. Here exist countless sonic entities, parasites in a nucleus of musical aggression: Feeding, absorbing, regurgitating... all motion begins and ends alike. Yet even in this strange and frightening place, there are outsiders who live within. Mithras are one such dual manifestation, an illogical, extra-planar troupe so immersed in their own world that they are often the object of fear, misunderstanding and resentment. Such is the lonely path of all who dream, and to the denizens of this isolated nexus, a path seldom trodden.
Violent tranquillity, atmospheric extremity... astral brutality. This is the sound of Mithras, one of the UK's most uncompromising and original extreme metal bands to date. Beginning their career in 1998 C.E, Leon Macey and Rayner Coss took the name Imperator, and cast their mould in the world of ancient history and mythology. With clear goals in mind they released their first demo, Gods Among Men, a youthful release that bore their first glimmer of crushing individualism. As the third millennium passed, they would record another five original tracks on a mini-cd under the name of Retaken Empire. Created for an ill-fated split release, their second demo would never see the light of day and to this day gathers dust in forgotten subterranean vaults. But all was not lost...
Imperator would soon become Mithras, named after the ancient Roman deity. The troupe had obviously impressed the sleeping deity and in return he granted them the insight, skill and brilliance that had sired empires of the ancient world. As the dreaming god lay deep in the throes of his slumber, his tributaries began work on the demo that would bring them their first incredible victory. Dreaming in Splendour was a fearless advance which was unleashed in early 2001. With this release tremors were felt beneath the disputed thrones of metal underground and they drew the attention of Golden Lake Productions, a respected underground label. Signed in 2001, their furious apostasy against the mediocrity of their surroundings began. The crushing brutality and technically bombastic approach unveiled on their debut Forever Advancing...... Legions set a small milestone in the history of extreme metal with it's release in early 2002; yet showed a glint of much greater things to come...
And come they did, but not in their expected form. In 2002 Mithras evolved. Gone was the historical commentary and ancient god-worship of their previous incarnation. In its place sat a child of pure musical obscurity, a band that fused ambience with pitiless extremity, cosmic lyrical passages and highly unconventional uses of the musical instrument. Another unreleased demo called Bequeath Thy Visions would be a stage in this metamorphosis and in the following year, Mithras would create a complex musical wonder: A dimensional gate to another existence, an apocalyptic, chapter-to-chapter epic that would bring the band face to face with astounded musical journalists and knuckle-headed, nay saying death metal conservatives. Worlds Beyond The Veil would shatter musical boundaries following its late 2003 release on Golden Lake, achieve a controversial 10/10 review in Terrorizer magazine and garner critical acclaim throughout the wider world, not forgetting a new record deal with renowned label Candlelight which saw both Mithras albums reissued at the start of 2004.
After two years of relative silence and sporadic gig appearances, not to mention line-up changes, Macey and Coss returned to the studio in 2006 to begin work on what would be their third and most polished production, Behind The Shadows Lies Madness. Amused by vacant-minded criticism and the barbed words of earthly sceptics, they fell deeper into a world of their own making and continued the concept of their previous releases, delving deeper into the mystery of uncharted universes and their lurking ethereal terrors. Through endless portals and into the swirling vortex of time they leapt into a universe more uncertain and chaotic than they had ever witnessed. The here and now. Silencing the critics, Behind The Shadows Lie Madness saw the light of day in April 2007 through Candlelight, and has received rapturous applause throughout the extreme metal community
Amidst the endless contingencies and paths that lead into the future, one thing remains certain.
To Mithras there are no limits.
There are no lords or masters... only the ebb and flow of time.