ALBUM REVIEW: A Throne Of Ashes – Sun Of The Dying
With the idea for SUN OF THE DYING being laid down in 2013, it was several years later that they would attain a stable lineup and begin to harness the sound that they would go on to identify with. Employing key elements of death doom metal at the core, the Spanish six piece are unafraid to branch out and incorporate other sounds and styles to deliver their vision. With numerous tours and two full length albums under their belt, SUN OF THE DYING are showing no signs of stagnating. A Throne Of Ashes continues to propel their sound in the form of crunching death doom, yet they’ve incorporated lush melodic layers to elevate the music further.
From the opening track, Martyrs, the whole album cascades in a wave of powerful, heavyweight melancholia. The band’s sound is perfectly displayed with the ebbs and flows of the introduction. Using layers to deliver an engaging soundscape, the foundations a built upon steadily as the texture thickens. String instrumentation is used to drive home the emotive weight with clarity, while the rhythm section remains ever constant delivering on all points the darker and heavier elements.
While the six-piece are highly adept at crafting a soaring and captivating melodic edge. They are equally masterful when it comes to conveying a pummelling drive. Black Birds Beneath Your Sky, offers an exquisite blend of majestic leads and snarling heaviness. It’s a track that initially throws its weight around with crunching guitars propelling antagonistic riffs. The rhythm section matches the sentiment and with the vocals snarling in accompaniment, it at first feels worlds away from the opening track. However, with expert songwriting and craft, the track organically grows into a sweeping opus that retains the initially aggression but opens into something far grander by its conclusion.
With powerful guitar led aggression and colossal sounding drums on the likes of The Greatest Of Winters, hulking death metal credentials of SUN OF THE DYING are without question. They are highly efficient at executing the heaviest of passages that are within the album. Providing an inexorable wall of sound that pushes the envelope of death doom. It provides a perfect juxtaposition to the gorgeous layered passages of melody that they weave through from start to finish. The result is an album that holds rapt attention from the opening notes through every strident crescendo before the final fade out of closer Of Absence. With a mix and production that is entirely sympathetic to the dynamics of the songwriting allowing each track to project an individuality and stand united in what is a shining album for 2025.
On darkened melodious wings, A Throne of Ashes absolutely soars. SUN OF THE DYING have certainly found their melancholic groove and are surging forward with their creativity. Having accomplished a fine balance between death doom with heavy melodic and gothic overtones. They have produced an album of powerful emotive weight without any of the music feeling oppressively despairing to the point of caricature angst. Intricate layers, grand orchestration and punchy songwriting keep every minute sounding fresh and entirely captivating.
Rating: 9/10
A Throne of Ashes is out now via AOP Records.
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