First album for Wooden Throne.
The project is born in the mind of Mikko Lehto (October Falls) in Finland, and its creator unveils us in late 2021 Under the Moon They Wander Until Fading Away.
On this album, seven tracks of blackness and melancholy reach us, connecting weighing atmosphere, melodic tones and ice-cold Black Metal. The majestic At the Sorrows Chamber opens this gathering of heady blackness with an impressive rhythmic, strengthened by airy leads, contrasting with this dark aspect. Howlings quickly join, riding this haunting sound that seems to be so far and so close at the same time. The Ravens Cross slows the tempo down, making us understand the whole grandeur of the song, and allowing the vocalist to unveil all the strength of his visceral screams. Slowness makes us lose the sense of time before Withered at Sunrise, a song that begins with a very soft piano, then which continues with a flood of blackness that seems to be unbearable and very intense. The sound seems to calm down, but it comes back stronger before Under the Moon They Wander Until Fading Away, the eponymous track, that will be the most majestic and melancholic of the album. It does not hesitate to slow down before raging again, letting the rage consume itself, then Into Forests Calm offers us a moment to breathe with sometimes warlikes sometimes colder tones. Return into Shadows makes us literally sink again into this sea of blackness the musician develops, then coldness reaches us again, allowing howlings to increase and melodies to shroud us. Through the Timeless Fields comes to close the album with a melting between epic sonorities and a strange feeling where sound slowly fades away.
Even if its name is unknown, Wooden Throne seems to be familiar. Under the Moon They Wander Until Fading Away gives birth to coldness, melancholy and some greatness before letting them die to our feet, offering some rare blackness and impurity.
90/100