May Our Chambers Be Full

Thou & Emma Ruth Rundle - May Our Chambers Be Full
Critic Score
Based on 11 reviews
2020 Ratings: #81 / 871
User Score
Based on 254 ratings
2020 Rank: #272
Liked by 28 people
October 30, 2020 / Release Date
LP / Format
Sacred Bones / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Kerrang!
There’s plenty to latch onto, whether it’s the neck-rending riffs, the snarling/soaring vocals or just wanting to vibe out and let the darkness envelope you; it’s a display of artistry, the antithesis of bands who just want to game the Spotify system with two-minute bangers.
90
musicOMH

Neither artist is swamped by the other on any of these songs; instead, they have each successfully tapped in to what makes the other tick, and utilised those signifiers, those identifying sounds, to their fullest possible effect.

90
Metal Injection

Thou & Emma Ruth Rundle balance ugliness and beauty, but it’s really the emotional impact that makes May Our Chambers Be Full an indispensable listen.

80
AllMusic

For all of its epic grandiosity, May Our Chambers Be Full only clocks in at a mere 37 minutes, but in doing so leaves a more indelible impression.

80
Loud and Quiet
The whole LP would be a great release for either artist, but it’s the brilliant convergence of sensibilities that sets it apart in the landscape of alternative metal.
80
Metal Hammer
This collaboration sees its principle figures not only bringing their talents to the table, but stepping outside expectation for a surprising push into sonic shape-shifting and a greater melodic good.
80
The Arts Desk
It’s all pretty heavy stuff, that often veers towards the grungy and heavy psyche end of things, throwing up powerful sonic typhoons that are primal and raw in their intensity, yet occasionally float into the more ethereal before letting rip once again.
80
Distorted Sound

In May Our Chambers Be Full, the truly gnarly sludge metal of THOU meets EMMA RUTH RUNDLE’s post-rock-influenced dark folk – an album which revels in bleakness and intensity.

78
Beats Per Minute

May Our Chambers Be Full is that rarest of things – a body of work which combines but does not try to obscure the strong individual artistic voices of the collaborators.

70
Spectrum Culture

Running less than 40 minutes, May Our Chambers Be Full covers a great deal of ground without getting bogged down in any one track.

69
Pitchfork
On their collaborative debut, the Louisiana sludge band and the Kentucky songwriter funnel gothic majesty and charred metal into moments of unlikely wonder.
thiefofprose
80

This is Thou's best album.

This is also Emma Ruth Rundle's best album. Coincidence? I think not!

I absolutely ADORE how the two involved parties brought out the absolute best in each other. This is a beautifully crushing and emotive album and should be considered a benchmark for how a great collaboration should be done.

Also, "The Valley" is a perfect conclusion to May Our Chambers Be Full and is easily one of the top five songs of 2020. Bet.

Top Tracks: Monolith, Ancestral ... read more

LetalShertly
68

Great themes and vibes, just lacks anything that makes this really stand out. Great mixing on this too.

Music_Nerds
80

I just want to preface this by saying that I’m not by any stretch of the imagination a ‘metal guy’ but recognise and celebrate innovation when I hear it. In 2019 French Blackgaze band Alcest topped my list with their most recent album Spiritual Instinct and in 2020 it’s ‘May Our Chambers Be Full’, a seemingly unlikely collaboration born from a shared record label and festival concept comes to fruition.

A 7-track album built from what sounds and feels like ... read more

neowollic
85

One of my favourite collaborations. They compliment and contrast each other in the most beautiful way.

Killing Floor is awesome.

eliandres00lp
80

This one rocks.

NR

Absolutely fantastic release - Thou and Emma turned out to be the ideal match.

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Track List

1Killing Floor
6:46
88
2Monolith
3:23
82
3Out of Existence
3:42
83
4Ancestral Recall
3:54
84
5Magickal Cost
4:10
83
6Into Being
5:16
85
7The Valley
8:58
90
Total Length: 36 minutes

Year End Lists

#1/Treble
#10/Kerrang!
#47/Stereogum
#70/The Quietus
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Added on: August 20, 2020