The Mist – The Dark Side of the Soul (An Anatomy of the Soul)
Release Date: 7th November 2025
Label: Alma Mater Records
Order/Stream
Genre: Thrash
FFO: early Sepultura, Exhorder, Overkill, Dark Angel.
Review By: Malte Brigge
2025 has been good for thrash, with relative newcomers like Hazzerd, Sulfator and Retador releasing potential listers and Olde Guarde stalwarts Sodom and Testament still riffin’ ass. Dusting off their battle jackets, Brazil’s The Mist are back after a thirty-year (!) hiatus to throw their gauntlet down. Releasing albums in 1989 and 1991, swapping singers for one last shot in 1995, and then going dark for almost forever, original singer Vladimir Korg and some members from The Hangman Tree line-up reformed in 2018, did some touring and seemed set to restake their claims. Founding member Christiano Salles and guitarist Jairo Guedz (ex-Sepultura) left again, leaving Korg the final remnant of any OG line-up. Undeterred, he recruited game musicians from across the metalsphere, put out an EP in 2021 (The Circle of the Crow), survived the pandemic intact, and now present to you their first full-length album since 1995, The Dark Side of the Soul (An Anatomy of the Soul).
The Dark Side of the Soul (An Anatomy of the Soul) is a three-part concept album about the conflict between soul and body, though the final thematic result is a little shoehorned. The first part, opening track The Curse of Life, is straight bangin’ riffomania, full speedmetal ahead. The second and longest chapter (tracks 2–8, listed as a single suite, but connections both musically and lyrically are frayed at best) continues the rifftrain with (Embryo) Anatomy of the Soul, hooking some “Flash of the Blade”-y pull-offs in a strong start but reveals some chinks in ye olde armor as the repetition of “Errbody talk too much!” gets old pretty quick. I like Korg’s blackened take on the thrash bark, but he sometimes strains to the point I feel my own throat burning. He doesn’t display a lot of variation, but could—he hits a pretty gritty death growl on (Liver) Killing My Imaginary Friends that rises and falls with the riff and adds depth to his delivery. His voice has aged well; it’s fuller, has more range, and he controls it with far more ferocity than thirty years ago.
Tue Madsen is becoming one of my favorite producers. He captures a beautiful, serrated guitar tone, whether it’s laying into a sweet groove [(Brain) Geppetto’s Song] or building harmonies into great lead runs [(Lungs) Death Is Alive Inside Me]. I wouldn’t mind if the bass had more presentation, but that’s partly because The Hangman Tree spoiled my expectations, not because it’s absent. Riccardo Linassi’s drumming does a lot to keep this album sprightly, and his sense of swing drives otherwise repetitive moments [(Cuore) The Dark Side of the Soul]. The snare is sharp, and the cymbals are high in the mix, at some expense to the toms and kicks, but overall Madsen made this album crisp. He’s helped by a thoughtful range of songwriting that isn’t just pedal-to-metal destruction.
Multitracked gang vocals usually indicate the soul thematically responding to the body’s struggles but, honestly, even with the lyric sheet it’s hard to see consistency and development in the overall concept, especially on songs like (Face) – Name + Number = Namber, easily the most ridiculous in concept and the weakest in execution. It feels like they were running out of ideas to end the middle chapter, because (Bones) Lesson Lived, Lesson Learned doesn’t fare much better. The main riff sounds tired, and idea drain is evident. The third chapter and final song, (Death) Return to Sender, picks things up again, taking a cue from (Embryo) with a similar pull-off riff and strong atmospheric turns. Repetition of the chorus, though, turns into repetitiveness, a common bane of this album. (Death) stumbles into a choppy crash out that highlights a lack of sophistication in how The Mist end songs and transition themes.
I’m more fascinated with The Mist than in love, but their story needs telling, and this album deserves hearing. If you weren’t much into thrash before, this absolutely will not change your mind, but if you need to up your kvlt cred, get into this strange band. They aren’t just another derivative act; they have a unique sound and an interesting vision of what they want their music to do. I have mixed feelings about The Dark Side of the Soul (An Anatomy of the Soul) but find more to like than dislike. The Mist have returned not just to rehash old sub-glories but to make a statement, and to that they’ve succeeded. It’s a great-sounding record that gets the thrashoglobin in my blood bouncing and makes me pretty curious what they’ll do next.
(3 / 5)
