Thron‘s fifth album is ready.
Still signed to Listenable Records, the band consisting of SAMCA (vocals, live for Malphas), PVIII (guitar), SXIII (bass, Convictors), J (drums, Aara, Forgotten Tomb, Malphas, ex-Chotzä…) and Ravendust (guitar, Chotzä, Malphas, Ravendust…) unveils Vurias this year.
The Serpent’s Path gently starts the album off, offering airy melodies before the rhythm kicks in, featuring furious vocals for the most virulent passages, but also some more ritualistic and trippy moments. The contrast is interesting and quite natural, as on Astral Materia, which floods us with harmonics at every moment, whether they are soft and intoxicating or, on the contrary, much more piercing. There is a certain coldness to this track, however, while Hubris’ Crown sounds much more accessible and warm, captivating us from the very first riffs and holding our attention with its devastating accelerations that draw on fairly violent Swedish roots. The finale is quite occult, but A Paradox quickly takes over, revealing a more jerky and disturbing approach that explodes after a scream of terror and unleashes itself more brutally, finally returning to that unifying sound to move on to Ungemach (Stilles Ende), which allows us a moment of respite with its very prog introduction. The track is by far the longest on the album, clocking in at nine minutes, during which the band shifts from one influence to another and dares to use dissonant melodies or unexpected keyboard parts with convoluted nuances before a calmer final followed by the haunting One Truth, One Light, which returns to more direct patterns. The leads follow suit and offer sharper tones despite a breather after the middle of the track, then Griefbearer injects a touch of melancholy into its palpable rage infused with Old School sounds and a massive blast that the band nuances with a rather strange break before returning to its violence in a jerky manner. The Hunter And The Prey considerably slows the tempo down, offering some rather haunting drumming while the other musicians fuel the hazy sound that welcomes a saxophone part before a rather chaotic finale. Then the album reaches its final track with The Metamorph’s Curse and its initial softness, which metamorphoses back into its usual rage while following an irregular rhythm, letting the rhythm section lead the final charge for one last eruption.
Thron has developed a brilliant contrast between raw Black Metal and ethereal melodies on its previous albums, but the band goes even further with Vurias, offering a new palette of darkness while respecting its roots. A real success.
90/100