Springing forth once more from the Black Forest region of south-west Germany, Thron continue their mission to revive the classic nineties Scandinavian melodic black metal sound. 2018s sophomore “Abyssal” garnered much plaudits for Thron’s contemporary take on nostalgic themes, and their third album brings further progression to this.
The melodic homage to Swedish black metal legends such as Dissection and Sacramentum is ever present from the opening salvo of “The Prophet”, however, Denmark is also represented sonically with nods to King Diamond and Mercyful Fate. This famous traditional catchy riffage, coupled with the theatrical air of mystery and menace is particularly evident on “To Dust” and “Den Of Iniquity”. Bringing the traditional heavy metal influences full circle, album closer “Into Disarray” would sit comfortably at home on the more recent Judas Priest albums if it wasn’t for the raspy vocals.
The band are capable of varying pace to great effect, with “Nothingness” and “Gaia” both showcasing plodding ascendant riffs, with the latter featuring worshipful mantras. “The Reverence” provides an urgent yet epic mid-point to the album, with an apt title for such a reflective and varied song. For me, the stand-out track is “Valley Of The Blind”. It starts with the chest-beating confidence of a traditional twin guitar metal attack before launching into a savage black metal barrage of pounding guitars and blistering leads, and featuring a haunting mid-pace melodic bridge that periodically binds the song together.
Thron have raised the bar of their own particular brand again, continuing to inject new life into old sounds without settling for mere nostalgia.
(7.5 Doogz)
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