Liste der Bands Melodic Death Anachronaeon The Ethereal Throne

This is the latest album from the Swedish death metal duo Anachronaeon. Full discretion; I don’t really like duos or one man bands. They cannot appear live and the sound is usually too contrived. I am thinking here of Jon William’s Dark Army and Quorthon’s Bathory. I have just heard that Anachronaeon have added another guitarist, Kenneth Johansson. Now they just need a bassist to appear live, Yay! The Ethereal Throne is a concept album about a murderer being commanded by God and it instantly recalls fellow Scandinavian King Diamond and his concept album “Melissa”. Although the vocals do not; at all. Frankly I don’t think anybody can even approach King Diamond’s vocals. Vocalist Patrik Carlsson sounds a lot like fellow Swede Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth though. There is an interesting story to be told and the plot development builds suspense and intensity. If you closely follow the lyrics you want to find out what happens.

The first song is “Mary” which showcases the first murder by the protagonist in the first person. It has an impressive beginning and nice sound. But dare I say this. Too much double bass? A few things regarding the drums: First of all, the double bass sounds too processed, too much like a drum machine. Secondly, there is too much of it. I love double bass but it has to be used wisely. You can’t just turn it on like a jackhammer through most of the song. Maybe Andreas Åkerlind needs a new kit and/or better acoustics then what he is playing in the YouTube videos. I would also recommend two bass drums and not just the double bass pedal. Åkerlind‘s speed however, is phenomenal, and comparable to Inferno from Behemoth. The lyrics throughout the album are rather juvenile though, and the delivery is somewhat awkward as well which slightly recalls 80’s band Violence. There also seems to be an general lack of guitar solos.

The next song is “In the Essence of My Becoming”. Here the character kills a couple in the park after he describes how he and his father killed his “retard brother” to save him “from a lifetime of self-loathing and hate”. In “Whereabouts of my father” he describes the killing of his father because he believed him to be a demon. “Defying My Master” has the killer fall in love with a woman he kidnapped and refused to kill. In “Seeds of Darkness Sprouting in Light” she becomes pregnant and he then kills her after debating what to do.
He then questions his sanity and doesn’t know if he killed anybody at all. “Shattering The Earthly Bond” recalls Judas Priest’s “Beyond the Walls of Death” The protagonist then commits suicide in prison. This is followed by the Instrumental “A White Dove Flew over the Prison Walls”. Overall Anachronaeon seem here to be technically proficient but the album after several listens lacks that kick-ass quality and seems rather boilerplate.