Origin: Black Forest, Baden-Württemberg, Germany 🇩🇪
Genre: Black Metal
In 2015, a coven from out of Germany’s Black Forest region emerged, and onto the European black metal circuit they made their way as bearers of the torch for Satanism, students of philosophy and tellers of myth. Upon the sixth year of their scourge of Germany, THRON released their 2021 opus, “Pilgrim”, and as it began to circulate throughout the international black metal scene, people began to understand just how larger-than-life the genre of black metal can be. Now, in the wake of plague and upon the cusp of a new Dark Age we stand with only the comfort of faded memories to remind us of the civilization we once were. On March 31, THRON released their fourth LP, “Dust”, upon the decline we call now.
Almost an hour’s worth of epic black metal – rich and compositionally on another level, yet still grounded enough for one to be able to wrap their head around. With “Dust”, THRON wage mushroom cloud-level warfare upon all five senses. Warring guns revved; spitting rapid-fire blast-beats and machine gun double bass patterns as the bodies begin to drop with “Dying In the Mud”. Some brutal God Dethroned worship paired with Dark Fortress-level compositional savvy to set the tone for your awakening into the reality of our fast-encroaching end. And with all proper Satanic fanfare to follow: “The True Belief” and “The Golden Calf” playing out at a deadly take-some-time-to-smell-the-blood-in-the-air tempo and in homage to self, freedom & sin.
There’s more of a straight black metal feel to “Dust” when compared to THRON’s previous album; a bit more loathsome and lot more misanthropic. Great mysteries to be solved, but only through our extinction, and profound truths to be learned, but only in our final moments of life – philosophy the defining concept of this album but also the snares of human psychology and emotion. The bleakest of visceral landscapes are explored in “The Eve” and the merciless, innocence-destroying nature of mankind is revealed in “Face of Despair”. Every fearless excursion into each one of these treacherous yet enlightening thematic corridors is illuminated by the clarity of SAMCA’s refined vocal contribution along with an overall air of crispness in product and a precise balance in mixing.
“Dust” is a labyrinthine compositional journey into some of the most hopeless musical environments imaginable. It’s a profound volume that challenges its listener to face the oft-hid from corners of both our individual and collective psyches. And the black metal that soundtracks this experience is of the finest quality: artful, contemporary, epic and deadly. The human curse will soon be lifted from this world as we spiral deeper and deeper into the insanity of self-destruction. A failed experiment finally put out of its misery, but not before it leaves its hideous scars upon once-nourishing earthen soil. “Dust” is a farewell; a siren song to see us all on our way as we march knowingly into our own self-made Armageddon. THRON are back… and to dust it shall all soon turn…
9.5/10
Experience “Dust” by THRON right here as presented by Listenable Records:
~Jeger
