Band's List Brutal Death Black Throneum Death Throne Entities

Poland's Throneum's fascination with death is evident, with all full length releases thus far containing the word "death", and the most recent three releases even having the album title beginning with "death". My very first contact with the band was through their split with Anima Damnata, and suffice to say, it has been a wild ride ever since. Receiving a copy of this album then certainly came as a pleasant surprise.

All pleasantries end here though. Building on the foundation that they have built up over the past few albums, Death Throne Entities presents to listeners a 35 minute mind-blowing blasphemous journey. If you found 2009's Deathcult Conspiracy raw, Death Throne Entities pushes the boundary even further with an even more primitive and dirty production quality, and this has no negative impact at all on the music and instead blends well with the equally primitive and barbaric songwriting and execution of the instruments, proudly bearing the flag of old school extreme metal.

As guitarist/vocalist The Great Executor begins his vocal onslaught, there is no mistaking that this is Throneum, with his hardcore punk-styled shouting vocals, backed by the frantic riffs and the rhythm section of drummer Thermonuclear and bassist Armagog. One thing that is also noticed is the increased thrash influence that is present in the music compared to the previous output of the band, with Thermonuclear living up to his stage persona, going at hyper speed right from the get go, driving the band forward in an ever-increasing speed, and there is no stopping of the madness until the end. Bassist Armagog's lines are also clearly audible and punchy, and it is a wonder how he manages to keep up with the speed and intensity of the music. Even the few slightly sloppy moments on the album do not spoil the experience at all, as they help to further reinforce the authenticity of the music, sounding as if the band recorded the whole album in just one take, together in the same studio.

The band has also included some variety in their musical style on this album, with Baphomet standing out in particular. This track sees The Great Executor further experimenting with his vocal styles, displaying a deep growl more reminiscent of brutal death metal, rather than his usual vocal style. The song also stands out as having some of the slowest moments on the album, with moments towards the end that go to a doom pace, emphasising on the heaviness of the music instead of the speed. The raw, crushing atmosphere sounds like it could come off an early Incantation album, and this certainly shows a side of Throneum that one seldom hears.

Furthermore, songs like In Blasphemy begins with a quirky moments, throwing listener off track before going back to their aural assault once more with little warning, keeping listeners constantly on their toes. The album closes with an instrumental/ambient moment towards the end of the last track He has Lain Down and is Never to Rise Again, leaving one last ominous feeling in the listener before ending the album. Many bands of recent years have gone the "old school" path, and it is certainly nice to hear bands like Throneum managing to execute the style with such excellence yet retaining the old school essence.