ALBUM REVIEW: Mammon’s Throne – Mammon’s Throne

Aussie extreme doom outfit MAMMON’S THRONE are one of a legion of hopeful young upstarts that had their plans for global music domination scuppered by The World Event Of Recent Years™. Having released their debut album Forward Unto Flame right in the heart of the lockdowns, they were left with not much else to do. Suffice it to say then that once everything started going back to normal, the band toured relentlessly to push their work to crowds baying for some good, honest, heavy doom. Well now they return with their self-titled sophomore album in the hopes they can have some sort of normality – if you can call it that – around a release.

Before we dive in on Mammon’s Throne the album, let’s look at the etymology and focus of MAMMON’S THRONE the band. Mammon is a biblical term that means money, or wealth. In some texts and interpretations, Mammon is personified as one of the seven princes of hell, the deity of the sin of greed. It should come as no surprise then that the music of MAMMON’S THRONE is full of extreme heaviness worthy of the bowels of the underworld, and they use gothic theatricality in their appearance and storytelling to appease that princely beast.

When they released lead single Return Us To The Stars, the band said “every song on the album is about some sort of ending.” In this case, it’s a ritual performed for ancient gods in exchange for salvation from a dying world. To tell this story, MAMMON’S THRONE employ funeral doom atmospherics and lace the desolation and sorrow with black metal barbarity; it’s a stirring and evocative opening and when it all slows to a gentle section of clean guitars, the space opens up, placing you in the gaze of those eldritch deities, before they pass their judgement with fury when the band rejoins and vocalist Matthew Miller roars into the aether.

The middle of the album offers a resting place for wearying travellers with The King’s Last Lament which sees bassist Sam Talbot-Canon step into the lead guitar duty and showcase the intricacies of his enviable skillset with a superb classical guitar performance. Joined only by Miller’s mournful verse and a smattering of piano, synths and mellotron, it’s a solid display of the world building that MAMMON’S THRONE are capable of.

Here for a good time instead of a long time, Mammon’s Throne is all tied up in just over 30 minutes. MAMMON’S THRONE are clearly a band that knows exactly who they are, but it’s hard not to wonder what comes next. While there are flashes of individuality, there are more instances of songs feeling familiar, or resorting to the same bag of tricks. The subject matter has boundless potential, but when Mammon’s Throne (Reap What You Sow) reaches its slow, crushing climax, it’s not all that different from the end of the opening track. 

The good news though is that they end on a high: Impure is a heavy metal behemoth that covers everything from doom and black metal to classic metal and thrash. It’s a superb ending that leaves the biggest impression of any of these five tracks and will have you reaching for the replay button as soon as it finishes. 

The stereotype of the tricky second album rears its ugly head once more, but MAMMON’S THRONE hack and slash away at that foul beast, landing some killer blows. It’s not a flawless victory though and there are moments where they struggle, but with some flashy skills and unstoppable brutality, they prove that they may well be worth your time and attention.

Rating: 7/10

Mammon’s Throne is set for release on April 1st via Brilliant Emperor Records.

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