Staunchly independent and staggeringly prolific, Louisiana's
Thou
have released dozens of limited EPs and splits along with their main albums, often featuring covers of songs by their main influences. They've frequently compiled non-album material on releases like
Ceremonies of Consolidation
and
Ceremonies of Repetition
, and two digital collections from 2020 focused solely on covers. The 16-track
Blessings of the Highest Order
consisted of
Nirvana
songs, while
A Primer of Holy Words
collected songs by grunge, hardcore, and metal bands from
Pearl Jam
to
Minor Threat
. For the most part, the covers are largely faithful to the originals, except that they're extra sludgy and usually contained growled or shrieked vocals.
Shellac
's vengeful "Prayer to God" turns out to be ideal for this treatment, and
Soundgarden
's already massive "Fourth of July" is turned into an even slower, bleaker behemoth. On this song and
Alice in Chains
' radio hit "No Excuses,"
juxtapose clean lead vocals with demonic howling, similar to their own homage to '90s grunge and alt-metal, 2018's
Rhea Sylvia
. The digital version of
included renditions of four
Black Sabbath
classics ("Into the Void," "Sweet Leaf," "Black Sabbath," and "Lord of This World"), and they're all as powerful and skull-crushingly loud as one would expect. Additionally, the band find a way to make
Neil Young
's "Don't Let It Bring You Down" sound heavy enough to be mistaken for one of the
Sabbath
tunes.
Sacred Bones
' 2022 vinyl edition omits the
tracks, and instead features a second
song, a surprising cover of
the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
' "Maps," and a nearly industrial version of "Anarchy's Stupid" by obscure New Orleans punk band
Ginger Quail
.
have a fairly consistent approach to covers, so all of the songs on the various editions of
sound recognizably like
, and it's interesting to hear them interpret their various influences. Maybe not the definitive
release, but still enjoyable and worthwhile for the group's fans. ~ Paul Simpson