Band:	Jex Thoth
Album:	Jex Thoth
Style:	Psychedelic rock
Release date:	February 2008

01. Nothing Left To Die
02. The Banishment
03. Obsidian Night
04. Separated At Birth
05. Son Of Yule
06. Warrior Woman
07. Equinox Suite
    1 - The Poison Pit
    2 - Thawing Magus
    3 - Invocation Pt. 1
    4 - The Damned And Divine
08. When The Raven Calls [Bobb Trimble cover]
09. Stone Evil

What? A retro-70's style Doom band with a "mysterious" female vocalist? Crank the hype machine to 11!

Apparently there was much ado about this band for the reasons listed above. At least in some circles that I, being sequestered to the desert of the American southwest, am not particularly privy to or a part of, but there was, apparently, a ton of hype for Jex Thoth.

So does Jex Thoth by Jex Thoth, named after their vocalist, Jex (formerly Jessica) Thoth live up to the hype that has surrounded Jex Thoth?

Short answer?

Maybe.

The music is predominantly psychedelic rock? pulsing baselines, wah-drenched guitar all awash in organ-stylee keyboards with dark themed lyrics with the vaguest hint of Black Sabbath. It sounds good and it sounds mighty retro, as if taken pretty much straight from the 70's. Jex Thoth is/are far more planted in the psychedelic rock side of things than the metal spectrum.

Jex Thoth, (ok, I am talking about the front woman here, I imagine you can see where their "Living In A Box*" syndrome gets awfully confusing and annoying) remains the charismatic epicenter of the band, and based upon her vocals perhaps deservedly so. Without the whole "ZOMG! female frontperson!" thing there might not be much to really cause Jex Thoth (band, and probably album as well in this application) to jump past other 70's psychedelic rock/doomsters? Her vocals are well done, enjoyable, and do give Jex Thoth their/its identity.

My biggest gripe is too often it seems like she went to the "Kerry King Akademy of Writing Lyrics" - and the problems that plagued the King-penned tracks of the last Slayer release plague Jex Thoth as well. "Warrior Woman", "Nothing Left To Die", sound akin to his "I'm such a badass/outsider/bane of your boring society/world" ranting. The tracks that don't center around the "I, I, I, Me, Me, ME" stance are more enjoyable, at least lyrically.

So strip away the annoyances of "me-centric" lyrics, the kitschy-hipster 70's thing, and being beaten into submission by the "Jex Thoth lack of naming creativity" bat, and what you have is a good release. It's not likely to find its way to my stereo too often, I prefer my doom less 70's and more funereal, but it is a nice respite from hours of Evoken, Esoteric, and Shape Of Despair?



* "Living In A Box" served as the name of a band, the name of that band's "big album", and of their "big hit single"? hooray creativity.