Progeny of Sun takes part in the tournament.
Formed in 2017 in Finland, and after releasing two EPs on Inverse Records, the band comprising Niko Aromaa (vocals, Dark Archive, Skofnung), Jaakko Hautamäki (guitar), Joni Kiviniemi (guitar), Tuomo Tolkki (bass) and Juha Peura (drums) is finally releasing its debut album, Throne of Desolation.
The album immediately kicks off with Forged by the Devil, where blast and lively riffs meet visceral vocal parts. The track is short, but it’s enough to whet the appetite for Damsel‘s sharp harmonics, placing dissonant elements during the composition’s slow moments, but also an enchanting clean sound to create a contrast with the usual fury, letting the vocalist hypnotize us as saturation gradually returns. He eventually releases screams, giving this haunting passage a whole new taste before Heartless Dome unveils energetic jerky riffs that perfectly fit with the oppressive ambience, which naturally slows down to become more catchy. The band follow up with Caldera, another fairly short track that starts out raging, and although an intriguing break presents itself, it remains focused on aggressive Old School tones, as does False Radiance, the next track, which couples an effective rhythm with unhealthy leads, opening the door to an eerie atmosphere. The musicians return to heaviness with Dweller, a track where orchestrations play a key role in the impressive approach, complemented by heady melodies. I thought the track would end with this touch of sweetness, but the band returns after two cymbal hits to terrify us, then it’s with Coward and its motivating patterns that the album continues, letting Black and Death influences collide to create sharp sounds. The suffocating ambience of Invasion and its heavy atmosphere forged by haunting guitars responding to a rather cold rhythmic basis while the singer literally unleashes his fury leads us to the onslaught of Courier which immediately follows, coupling virulent passages with intriguing, almost mystical elements, especially during clean voice parts. The final leaves us catching our breath, but Restoration restarts the machine with frantic riffs and wrenching guitars before becoming more massive and then returning to its aggressive roots, while Human Disposal Site begins with a relatively slow sound that soon becomes catchy. The final is much darker thanks to the clear vocals, and the album ends with the lengthy War of the Ages, allowing the band to explore their influences’ full range, from heaviness to fury, melancholy, terror and oppression, alternating between saturation and airy parts.
Progeny of Sun draws inspiration from the Black and Death Metal scenes to create a unique and surprising blend of rage and soothing melodies. Throne of Desolation depicts an incredibly dark landscape, whose actors are constantly on the move.
85/100