Honestly, after hearing “Pathos” for the first time, I thought to myself what kind of hotchpotch is this? The band really sits between pretty much all chairs that extreme Metal has to offer. But since every band deserves a second and, if necessary, a third chance, it became clear to me after further listens: that is great music, what LITOST have to offer here on their second album. You just have to commit to it to get involved and listen to the album a few times without disturbance. Which is not that easy, because on average we look at our smart phones about 80 times a day. The ground of this album is classic Black Metal. On this foundation LITOST, by the way based in Spain, develop a sound spectrum that is quite unique, with elements from Thrash and Death Metal, Folk and oriental ingredients and both aggressive, more punkish and also progressive songwriting. Sounds pretty crazy at first glance, but it works. Now LITOST are not the only band sailing in progressive waters, but what distinguishes the band from other bands is the brevity. Eight tracks in a bit more than a half-hour is not what you expect with so many influences. I think it is no coincidence that it took the band four years to record a follow-up to their debut “Ethos”. Some ideas that LITOST put into one song would be for other bands enough for a whole album. The Spanish vocals also deserve special attention. Varied and often difficult to grasp. But they fit well with the concept of the band. The band name refers to the Czech term “litost” which means something like the feeling of wanting to resist, fight and take revenge in the face of one’s own misery and torment, a feeling from which new energy is drawn. With “Pathos”, LITOST deliver the perfect tonal realization of this feeling. More information can be found here www.facebook.com/litostmusicvlc and here www.facebook.com/bloodfirepromo