Since forming in 2004, the Ohio-based Death and Thrash act Woe of Tyrants has issued two full-length albums prior to this release. Threnody is the third full-length release by this band and, much like their previous release, it shows the band growing and progressing their sound towards a more intense Melodic Death and Thrash combination while retaining the expected Death Metal gutterals and, in many cases, the dispairaging force the style's music has. However, the debate still continues if the vocalist's Christian beliefs are being thrust into the music a little more then they should be to not be classified as a Christian Metal act.
One listen to Threnody, however, and you won't care if this is a heavily Christian influenced release or not. The music on this album is intense and fast-paced, even though some of the tracks may lack the same bite that others have. But the real plus to this album is that while there are keyboards on this release, they are not on every release, and, luckily, not abused to the point of ruin. Some of the more intense moments on this CD actually stem from some of the keyboard work tacked on, such as the furious opening and chaotic ending and guitar solo accompanyment to the title track, "Threnody". If it's not the keyboards adding to this release, then it's the killer guitar solos you happen to find throughout the album, such as the one on "Venom Eye" that doesn't go too overboard, making it a somewhat short but very sweet display of skill that hypes the already present intensity. This song, however, is one of the very few on here that actually lacks the kind of bite that some of the other tracks have. The only other track on here that is not as enjoyable would be "Singing Surrender", which, given the sheer brutality and intensity of the rest of the material on Threnody, feels more like a cannon fodder filler track that uses a great opening, as well as a great closing, that would best have been placed on a song you would expect to close out the CD with.
While the album starts off absolutely intense, it's not until around the middle of the release that the real potential this band has shows through, not only thanks to the aforementioned "Threnody", but from the borderline epic "Bloodsmear" which, again, utilizes keyboards in the song to build up the overall intensity of the song, as well as uses some fast paced guitar chords that perfectly match the keyboard notes, as well as a very well executed intense guitar solo that borders on the lines of Dragonforce influenced (but in a good way) Power Metal. From here, it's hit or miss as to if you will find more tracks that have these borderline epic moments that these two show, but there's no denying that the intensity simply does not stop. "Lightning Over Atlantis" is another great track that will have you hooked from the start, but the only thing about this song is that the guitars for the chorus act a bit generic and are more simple hooks then anything, which is sad considering how deep into Death Metal some of the riffs played get, even merging into some structurally sound Black Metal at one point. It also doesn't help that the drums on this song, as well as every other track on here, are simply insane. The double bass kicks used on this release come at you like machine gun blasts and never seem to want to let up, even during the more simplistic "Lightning Over Atlantis" chorus.
Threnody is a largely surprising album that simply has to be heard. There's so much intensity int he band's music that by the time you're done you'll be left feeling crippled from the attack. While the ending doesn't shape up too well with the last three tracks, but at least has a suiting closing song with "Descendit Ad Infernos (The Harrowing of Hell)", the rest of the album seems to just build upon itself until the rather bitter end. Either way, this album is an exceptional album that borders the line of Metal masterpiece, proving this band has what it takes to play with the big boys, all the while creating a unique and original sound of their own. Hopefully the band will continue to grow and produce more music that will overcome this album in the near future, but for now we're left with Threnody, a release full of exceptional Metal tracks, and a few that don't quite reach the standard of others, that simply must be heard to believe.
|
