Musical Style: Heavy Metal	Produced By: Garret Thomas
Record Label: Roxx Records	Country Of Origin: USA, New Zealand & Brazil
Year Released: 2020	Artist Website:
Tracks: 13	Rating: 75%
Running Time: 65:23

The Thomas Thompson Earth Project and its February of 2020 Roxx Records full length debut Dreamland Lovecraft can be summed up rather quickly as a jacked-up early Bride (think eighties era) but with outside the box thrash, groove to funk, industrial and even techno nuances.  No doubt the groups name is a mouthful but also makes sense in light of how the ‘Thomas’ side to the equation applies to founding member and multi-instrumentalist Garret Thomas and the ‘Thompson’ aspect to iconic front man Dale Thompson, of the as noted Bride in addition to The World Will Burn, No Other God and Perpetual Paranoia.  Rounding out The Thomas Thompson Earth Project lineup and responsible for the heavier ‘earth’ side to its sound is veteran guitarist Tiago James De Souza (also Perpetual Paranoia and Hand Of Fire).

Side note: The Thomas Thompson Earth Project has an international feel in that Thomas makes the United States his home while Thompson and De Souza hail from New Zealand and Brazil, respectively.

When The Thomas Thompson Earth Project is at its diverse heavy metal best, it musically hits the nail on the head: creative, vibrant, unpredictable, lyrically poetic and delivering a monstrously heavy wallop.  The Bride comparison could not be more authentic.  Yet, there is also an experimental if not outright eccentric side to the group that while more often than not works, at times ends up overplayed to a fault.  The periodic spoken word and even rap vocals tend to lose me, as does intermittent unconventional song structuring that makes little if any sense.  When further factoring how several songs unnecessarily extend past six minutes, and that the album comes in at a whopping 65 minutes (broken out over 13 tracks) it can make for a tiring listen.

Dreamland Lovecraft features eight songs that are good as it gets.  First is albums stunning opening track “Lift Him Up”, a five-minute psychedelic metal explosion of vocal harmonizing, classical keyboards and melodic guitar harmonies that build until culminating for a tersely done lone verse at the end: 

Lift Him up from the earth
Draw all men unto Him
This is the gift of God
Power to do what He was sent to do

“Down The Devils Throat” is a classic if there ever was one.  An industrial bearing plays a lead role, revealing robotic rhythms and offbeat spoken word delivery (adorning chaotic as it gets verse section) alongside churning rhythm guitars (to uphold an aggressive but incredibly catchy refrain).  Monumental bass anchors the low-end.  Lyrics reveal the groups poetic side:

Supernova when the sons of God sang together
If the sky turns black, don’t you dare turn back
God hates a lying man

Down – down the devils throat
The universe knows itself through us
Jesus is the last hope

Those early Bride influences manifest on “Oh My Soul”.  The song charges forward from the start at a surprisingly upbeat tempo, straight on with its no frills disposition but also darkly tinctured in similar fashion as the better Live To Die and Silence Is Madness material.  At moments notice, however, it can make an abrupt left turn towards a lighter guitar based direction.  When Thompson lowers his register, a Gothic feel rises to the surface.

“Roll With The Punches” delivers equal doses of funk-flavored bass and groove-laden guitars to hint of hard rock as opposed to metal.  Vocals again trend towards the lower register in walking a fine line between Jimmy P Brown II (Deliverance) and Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine).  The ridiculously creative things Thompson is capable of with his voice, makes me glad he is working on so many side projects outside Bride.

“In The Ages To Come” opens its first minute instrumentally to atmospheric keyboards and wave-like guitars to hint of U2.  Where do they come up with this?  All at once, a big bass line cuts in and aligns with every bit prodigious guitars to settle into a near groove like focus for its verse sections only to see keyboards return to enliven the tapering refrain.  Lyrics reflect upon the crucifixion:

Give us Barabbas
A murderer and they say a thief
Crucify the man from Galilee
Hang Him on a tree
Whip Him hard, drive Him to His knees
Is this the Son of God, is this what you believe?

There will be Blood (in the ages to come)

“Soul Killers” is a favorite from how its slow, bluesy fade in reminds of Bride classic “Troubled Times”.  At just the moment you expect bluesy wah-wah style guitars to cut in, it turns into a monstrous thrash metal plodder with a remorseless demeanor and all the unease you could ask.  Double bass outbursts, occasional harsh vocals and cinematic overtures lend further variety.

“Fire Starter” contrasts with a more melodic form.  It begins to classical keyboards that gradually build until things takes off in upbeat fashion, rolling its remaining distance to blithely done bass and some of the albums most immediately engaging hooks.  The elevated keyboards allow a borderline theatrical flair.  This one compares God to a ‘Fire Starter’:

Refined, tested, proven, tried
Lightning thundering and voices

My God is a fire starter / Unquenchable
Your work revealed by fire

If your work is burned you will suffer loss
But you yourself shall be saved
Yet so as by fire

The swirling industrial style keyboards at the start of “Live To Fight Another Day” remind of Assimilation era Deliverance.  A completely different direction realizes moving ahead, as guitars riffs as melodic you will hear contrast with outbreaks of feedback and perilous (but tastefully done) narration.  Echoing keyboards and edgy guitars carry things instrumentally    (unlike his work in Perpetual Paranoia - and accept this as neutral observation - De Souza does not provide much in the way of shred soloing) 

So what is there not to like?  First, packaging in that the track listing on the back of the CD case is not in the correct order.  Second, several songs fail to do anything for me.

“Beyond The Means Of The Machine” has many of the right ideas as a sledgehammer borderline thrash metal cut but vocals trending towards the rap-based if not completely off kilter lose me.  The same applies to melody, which is not present in adequate portions to gain my full attention.  Likewise, “Eternity And Mercy” is not memorable enough, not to mention the techno style keyboards could not be more off putting.  I do, however, like lyrics:

Eternity and mercy, like mercy and grace
Like purity, like mercy, like mercy and grace

All my conflict imagined or real gives way to grace
And I am told to be still in the state of reverie
I stand my ground. 
Love is surrender a rhythm of beauty
I have the urge to live

Finally, there is a trio of songs in the seven-minute range that go way over my head.  Aptly entitled “Long Dark Winter” highlights its share of somber metal overtures, but the child-like voice over and overdone narration (not to mention more rap-vocals) could not come more out of left field.  After a minute and a half, I am ready to hit the skip button.  “Music Is My Super Power” receives kudos for best potential song title of the year but music is so unconventional (I do not know where to start) it is next to unlistenable, while “All That We’ll Forget” is slightly better but also wears thin with its offbeat vocals and some of the most off the wall song structuring imaginable. 

When The Thomas Thompson Earth Project is at the top of its game it does not get much better.  The stronger Dreamland Lovecraft material strikes the perfect balance between heaviness, melody and creative vocals with creditable outside the box moments.  If the album had cut off with the as noted eight best songs in questions, I give it an 80% score minimum; add an additional 10% by including two more of equal quality.  That said when the group strays too far from the script and extends way out into left field - narration, rap-vocals, techno keyboards and unnecessarily length songwriting - it could not lose me more.  No doubt, there is still a great deal to like about The Thomas Thompson Earth Project, so my advice would be give Dreamland Lovecraft a fair shot and decide for yourself.

Track Listing: “Lift Him Up” (5:03), “Beyond The Means Of The Machine” (3:38), “Down The Devil’s Throat” (4:36), “Oh My Soul” (4:15), “Roll With The Punches” (3:20), “There Will Be Blood” (4:15), “Soul Killers” (5:20), “Firestarter” (3:40), “Live To Fight Another Day” (5:39), “Long Dark Winter” (6:41), “Music Is My Super Power” (6:39), “Eternity And Mercy” (4:56), “All That We’ll Forget” (7:20)

Musicians
Garret Thomas - Multi-Instrumentalist
Dale Thompson - Lead Vocals
Tiago James De Souza - Guitars