THOTS

Forgotten Silence are best described as an experimental death metal band from Brno, Czech Republic formed in 1993. Their debut album "Thots" was self-released in 1996 (initially on cassette, later re-issued on CD). The band had already forged a status as free experimenters. "Thots" is a tightly focused concept album drawn from Isabel Allende's novel The House of The Spirits which only strengthens that claim. The titles of the songs recall characters and themes from that story, suggesting a narrative of cruel reigns and the indomitable human spirit. They dropped the unique gurgling growls which were present and a big standout on "The Nameless Forever?The Last Remembrance". To counteract this decision they recruited Hanka Nogolová (a female vocalist). In 2009 a remaster brought "Thots" to a wider audience.

Musically, "Thots" defies the norms of the 90s. It's often described as an avant-garde or progressive death metal album. It features the death metal aggression but fuses it with experimental and jazz-influenced elements. The album's sound constantly shifts, one moment you're listening to a mid-paced song with harsh growls and the next you're listening to soothing acoustic passages or keyboard-driven ambience.

The vocal interplay is especially striking to me. Harsh growls alternate with melodic almost eerie female vocals which adds a gothic twist to the music. Ferocity along with acoustic and jazzy interludes keeps the album unpredictable. The instrumentation is rich and varied, which drags you further into the album.

The lineup on "Thots" include: - Hanka Nogolová / vocals, voice - Radim Chrobok "Chrobis" / voice, narration - Pavel Urbánek "Medved" / guitars - Jan Friedman "Marty" / keyboards - Alexandr Nováček "Krusty" / bass, vocals - Miloslav Nahodil "Milon" / drums

The guitar playing ranges from heavy, dissonant riffs to a more melodic and latin tinged acoustic passage. The keys (Hammond and Mellotrons alongside synth washes) often take the lead in creating tension and melody. The way all of the instruments weave around each other is done so well on this album, their sound almost reminds me of the Swedish "Progg" movement with the slogan that everyone can play. The bass and drum grooves lock on to each other to anchor the groove. While the guitar and keys weave counter-melodies on top. The female vocals float over the mix rather than to dominate it and the harsh growls add a sense of brutality in the mix that you can't go without. Overall the musicianship is unusual, technical, complex and adept. They're avoiding pointless soloing and flashyness by constantly serving the song's arc.

A handful of songs on "Thots" are lengthy and divided into multiple parts. "Blanca: The Endless Desire" (10:56) and "The Old Memories (The House of The Spirits)" (14:21) are sprawling epics that flow between ferocity and melancholy. Each song unfolds into segments, building peaks and plateaus rather than sticking to your average verse-chorus structures. Shorter interludes like "Tres Marias Part II" and "The Awakening" act as bridges that maintain narrative momentum. This approach is common in Prog and prevents the music from becoming too monotonous. Even the more predictable death metal riffs are given unexpected twists by sudden tempo changes, abrupt pauses and instrumental breakdowns. "Thots" almost feels like mere noodling at some points.

The album's concept is woven deep into the lyrics in a sense that's very well done. It also shines through in the music. Drawing narratives of The House of The Spirits as previously mentioned, the lyrics portray characters under a cruel regime. The music reflects this with moments of twisted brutality which later give way for brief moments of warmth and vulnerability. In this sense Forgotten Silence and "Thots" are suggesting that even under cruelty, human empathy and creativity peek through the cracks. An idea telling us that the soul can never fully be silenced, a concept underlined by the album's recurring shifts from harshness back to subtle melodies.

Forgotten Silence's sound on "Thots" is unique, but there are some hints and influences coming from other early Prog/Tech Death Metal contemporaries. Fans of Cynic, Atheist or Opeth will recognise a similar pattern willing to blend brutality with jazzy fusion elements. Just like Cynic and Opeth, Forgotten Silence uses changes in time signature, modal guitar harmonies and extended song lengths to tell a story.

Within their regional scene, Forgotten Silence stood apart by refusing to play by the rules. While other Czech acts of the 90s explored Death-doom, gothic or folk metal fusions, "Thots" leaned heavily into a more niche genre which was just starting to appear. Avant-Garde Death Metal, they threaded in jazz, latin and oriental motifs. Long before modern tech bands embraced eclectic influences, Forgotten Silence were mixing Flamenco like guitar playing, Eastern European melodies and a fusion inspired framework into a death metal framework. The only bad thing I have to say about this album is the production. It's by no means bad, it's just not the pristine production we usually get in prog.

"Thots" is as unorthodox as it is musically sophisticated. Its unpredictability and ambition earned it a cult status, and decades later it still sounds just as fresh. For fans of the more brutal side of Prog this is an absolute gem. A claustrophobic, cinematic journey that rivals well known Prog Death classics. It may not appeal to purist death metal fans, but for those intrigued by the boundary-pushing experiments of 90s metal "Thots" is definitely worth a listen.

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