UMUR
"Without..." is the debut full-length studio album by German thrash metal act Of Rytes. The album was released through Semantic Records in 1991. Of Rytes was formed in the late 80s/early 90s and features former Exumer vocalist Mem Von Stein. Von Stein also played in Phobic Instinct and Humongous Fungus before co-founding Of Rytes. Of Rytes ended up being a relatively short lived affair releasing only this debut album before disbanding.
Stylistically the material on "Without..." is in a technical thrash metal style with the odd nod towards alternative/funky metal. Sometimes there are nods towards rap/funky mental like on "Motives" and sometimes there´s some progressive Voivod dissonance to be heard on a track like "I Dominate I". The vocals are diverse, but not very strong. The band are relatively well playing, but the sound production is a bit flat and lacks power. So upon conclusion "Without..." isn´t the most interesting technical thrash metal release out there, but that doesn´t mean it´s awful. It´s recommended to those who enjoy their tech thrash with alternative metal elements. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.
