The Third Eye

On April 26th, Thumos will take listeners on another wonderful journey through history and philosophy, as only they can. 

About Thumos and Atlantis

Thumos is a Progressive Doom/Post-Metal band based in the United States. Their 2022 album, Republic, won me over, and I’ve been following and writing about them ever since. Now, they return with Atlantis, an album that the band tells me is  … 

“Three songs lasting over 30 minutes, covering Plato’s dialogues Timaeus, the unfinished Critias, and the hypothetical Hermocrates.”

As I mentioned above,  I’ve been a big fan of Thumos for a few years, but I’m confident these three songs are their best yet. 

The Songs

1. Timaeus (09:30)

I love the buildup offered for approximately the first minute and forty seconds of Timaeus. It builds the energy and anticipation in a way that sucks the listener in, and then they drop into a fairly heavy riff that incorporates some Progressive Post-Metal. Those heavy vibes are a staple of this album, but Thumos doesn’t leave out the mellower, more atmospheric aspects of their sound either. I absolutely love this track, and I believe you will, too. 

Here’s a little historical context, thanks to Wikipedia … 

“Timaeus was written c. 360 BC. The work puts forward reasoning on the possible nature of the physical world and human beings and is followed by the dialogue Critias.”

2. Critias (09:00)

This track exhibits one of the things that I love about Post-Metal, and that’s the similarities it shares with Black Metal. No, not the extremity or the heaviness, but the way the higher guitar parts are written and played. This track is also different from its predecessor, even a bit heavier in a less obvious way. There are some crushing riffs to be heard, and they help push this song even further into the realm of awesomeness. 

Here’s some more Wikipedia-based context … 

“Critias, one of Plato’s later dialogues, recounts the story of the mighty island kingdom Atlantis and its attempt to conquer Athens, which failed due to the Athenians’ ordered society. Critias is the second of a projected trilogy of dialogues, preceded by Timaeus and followed by Hermocrates.”

3. Hermocrates (11:28)

This time, we’re going to start off with the Wikipedia-based historical context, as I find it to be a very interesting fact relevant to my thoughts on the song. 

“Critias is a hypothetical dialogue, assumed to be the third part of Plato’s late trilogy along with Timaeus and Critias. No one knows exactly how Critias ended, as the ending to the book is currently lost, so historians have not been able to say exactly how Hermocrates would begin.”

Musically, this is another killer track. Its intro is the most atmospheric and longest on the album. 

Writing instrumental music about a hypothetical dialogue is a brave undertaking, as well as a highly creative one. Thumos had to envision what Hermocrates may have been about, creating the story based on the first two dialogues and of their knowledge of its history. Even though this isn’t my favorite track on the album, it is the one I respect most, based on what the writing process must have been like. 

Final Thoughts 

Thumos knocks it out of the park once again, providing their fans with the best Instrumental Progressive Post-Metal currently available. If you’ve heard the band’s music before, then this is a must-hear, and if you’ve never heard Thumos before, this is still a must-hear. So check your favorite streaming services or head to Bandcamp to secure a physical copy, but make sure you hear Thumos’ Atlantis. Enjoy!

Pre-order Atlantis by Thumos on Bandcamp here.

You can support Thumos by finding them on Bandcamp or Instagram.

This review was written by Tom Hanno, who has been writing reviews for the last 7 years but has been sharing his love of music for most of his life. Originally starting out at the now-defunct Chimera Magazine, he is currently contributing to Doomed and Stoned, The Sleeping Shaman, The Doom Charts, Tom’s Reviews, and The Third Eye. Read more of Tom’s reviews by checking out his Linktree.

Consider supporting The Third Eye on Patreon.

Sign up for email updates from The Third Eye below: