ALBUM REVIEW: Throne Behind A Black Veil – Total Hate
Since the turn of the millennium, Nuremberg’s TOTAL HATE have been keeping the black flame burning for close to twenty years, and have established a solid reputation in the underground off the back of four full length albums and an EP, as well as their debut demo and a split with YERSINIA early in their career. Their latest record, Throne Behind A Black Veil, is arguably one of their best to date, taking their sharp and bleak sound and refining it even further, producing a lean and ferocious album that takes its cues from early second wave black metal.
Psychopath is a solid opener, with bleak guitar motifs building a dark, powerful feel right out of the gate. The vocals, caustic and fierce, carve through the mix and act as the focal point around which the rest of the music is centred. Gradually, TOTAL HATE gain speed and intensity, turning Psychopath into a far more robust and aggressive offering than the first moments of the song imply. Decline Of Human Life – Part II, a continuation of a song that appeared on the bands 2010 record, Necare Humanum Est, significantly quickens the pace, making for a decidedly more focused and energetic piece of music. Contrasting Psychopath, Decline Of Human Life – Part II has a more classic black metal sound with shrill vocals and razor sharp guitar hooks taking the forefront. Shifting from monstrous sections and far more epic ones, this is a song that is every bit as monolithic as it is acerbic, making for a varied and memorable sound.
Thou Shalt Kill (Killing Spree Unleashed) possesses much of the frenzied and lively approach of the previous track, but leaning more towards to fast and chaotic side of the style of TOTAL HATE, at points becoming a cacophonous wall of noise that is impenetrable and utterly feral, with the vocals providing a hideous, acidic snarl that only serves to make the music sound even more impressive. Raven Wings & Witchcraft Spells is a noticeably more visceral affair, with fuller chords and more authoritative drumming creating a thick and meaty sound, with the hellish howls of the vocals giving this song a vicious and bellicose sound. The dense, rhythmic approach is punctuated by minimalist, jarring melodies, and this proves, as a result, to be the records most grating effort up to this point.
TOTAL HATE begin the second half of the album with its pseudo-title track, His Throne Behind A Black Veil. Here, TOTAL HATE take a far more melodic edge than in the preceding songs with more adventurous lead guitars, and vocals which are, as always, belligerent and rabid. The focus on melody doesn’t detract from the ferocity of the music, with the rhythms providing a massive and expansive sound that makes this particular song sound huge at points, making this one of Throne Behind A Black Veil‘s stand out efforts. Death Raid Apocalypse is a short sharp shock of punk inspired riffs and tight, punishing percussion, and great vocals, which proves to be a good change of pace. Whereas many of the songs are much longer and drawn out, this one doesn’t mess around, not staying any longer than it needs to and proving to be one of the albums most intense tracks.
With Lunatic Beast we see TOTAL HATE‘s sole drop in quality across the record. Solid, but ultimately unremarkable, the penultimate offering dips slightly before the band ease into the album’s final track, Venomed Seed. Pulling out a long and eclectic offering that features some of the best vocal and guitar performances of the record, TOTAL HATE more than make up for Lunatic Beast‘s dip in quality. With a strong rhythmic undertone, some excellent lead guitars are able to take centre stage, making for a grandiose and epic piece of music, topped off with some fantastic vocals that are performed with just the right amount of venom and vitriol to make this already vast and powerful song seem bestial and savage at points. It’s a great way to bring Throne Behind A Black Veil to a close, and leaves the listener eager to hear more of the same.
Throne Behind A Black Veil is a very impressive record from start to finish, and there’s little in the way of filler. With the exception of Lunatic Beast, every song is a stand out – and even this dip in quality is still a solid outing, just failing to meet the bar the rest of the album sets. Throne Behind A Black Veil is far and away the creative zenith of TOTAL HATE thus far in their career, and sets a terrifying precedent for their future output.
Rating: 8/10
Throne Behind A Black Veil is out now via Eisenwald.
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