Thou (American band)

Thou
Origin	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
Genres	Sludge metal doom metal
Years active	2005-present
Labels	Robotic Empire Thrill Jockey Southern Lord
Associated acts	The Body
Website	noladiy.org/thou/
Members	Mitch Wells Andy Gibbs Matthew Thudium Bryan Funck Josh Nee
Past members	Terry Gulino

Thou is an American sludge metal band formed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 2005. The current line-up of the band consists of Bryan Funck (vocals), Andy Gibbs (guitar), Matthew Thudium (guitar), Mitch Wells (bass) and Josh Nee (drums).

History

The band was formed by guitarists Andy Gibbs and Matthew Thudium, bassist Mitch Wells, and drummer Terry Gulino. Thou released their first full-length effort, Tyrant, in 2007 after the arrival of the vocalist Bryan Funck. These were followed by their second studio album Peasant in 2008 and a string of EPs, including Malfeasance Retribution EP (2008), The Retaliation of the Immutable Force of Nature (2008), Through the Empires of the Eternal Void (2009) and Baton Rouge/You Have Much to Answer For (2010). Their third full-length album, Summit was released in 2010.

The band's fourth studio album, Heathen, released in 2014, was met with critical acclaim. This album marked the first time in the band's career that the band had featured cleanly sung vocals from collaborator Emily McWilliams. The album was named the best metal album of 2014 by music website Pitchfork. Thou has toured with and collaborated frequently with fellow sludge metal band The Body, whom they most recently collaborated with on the album entitled, You, Whom I Have Always Hated.

Style and artistry

Thou's style has been labeled as "experimental doom", stoner metal and sludge metal. On the band's style, Allmusic critic Gregory Heaney stated that "the band's sound blends the shuddering heaviness of doom with the oppressive atmospherics of black metal, giving the band a monolithic sound that feels, at times, inescapable."

Thou has taken a DIY approach to touring which has become a defining characteristic of the band and its aesthetic. Thou also has covered artists from various rock music genres, including Nine Inch Nails' "Terrible Lie" (with The Body) and Nirvana songs "Something in the Way", "Sifting", and "Aneurysm"

Band members

Current members

• Bryan Funck – vocals (2007–present)
• Andy Gibbs – guitar (2005–present)
• Matthew Thudium – guitar (2005–present)
• Mitch Wells – bass (2005–present)
• Josh Nee – drums (2010–present)

Past members

• Terry Gulino – drums (2005–2010)

Discography

Studio albums

• Tyrant (2007)
• Peasant (2008)
• Summit (2010)
• Heathen (2014)
• You, Whom I Have Always Hated (collaborative album with The Body) (2015)

EPs

• Malfeasance-Retribution (2008)
• To Carry a Stone (2008)
• The Retaliation of the Immutable Force of Nature (2008)
• Through the Empires of Eternal Void (2009)
• Baton Rouge, You Have Much to Answer For (2010)
• Big City (2011)
• To the Chaos Wizard Youth (2011)
• The Archer & The Owle (2011)
• Released from Love (collaborative album with The Body) (2014)
• The Sacrifice (2014)

Compilation albums

• Oakland (2010)
• Rendon (2010)
• Ceremonies of Humiliation (2014)
• Algiers (2014)

Demos

• Call No Man Happy Until He Is Dead (2005)
• Demo (2007)

Compilation contributions

• "Milk It" (originally by Nirvana; tribute album In Utero, in Tribute, in Entirety) (2014, Robotic Empire)
• "Endless, Nameless"/"Even In His Youth" (originally by Nirvana; tribute album Whatever Nevermind) (2015, Robotic Empire)
• "Eyehatethou" (Adult Swim Singles 2015) (2015, Adult Swim)
• "Floyd the Barber" (originally by Nirvana; tribute album Doused in Mud, Soaked in Bleach) (2016, Robotic Empire)

External links

• Official website