### Blood Red Throne: Blood red throne

#### 21/06/13 || Habakuk

Coming out with a self-titled album after 4 years of lineup changes and introducing a new frontman in the process sure is a bold statement. As of now, the only remaining member from 2009’s “Souls of damnation”, as well as the band’s inception is guitarist Død. If you ask me though, Blood Red Throne have the back catalogue to allow for bold statements. I believe they haven’t missed a single shot since 2003 when they released the overly clinical “Affiliated with the suffering”, an album some others actually speak quite highly of as well. Other opinions aside (leave the hall!), I say they followed it up with a consistent roll over the course of four insanely solid albums. Accordingly, my expectations were high when I read about the release of a new one. That was a week before release, and I’m happy to be able to have normal meals again after my anticipative saliva production could return to normal levels.

At first though, I was a bit surprised, as I had no idea about the fundamental line-up changes. Consequently, I didn’t exactly recognize the band. The new singer sure sounds different, there are less bass acrobatics than on earlier records, and more often than before, I feel somewhat reminded of recent Cannibal Corpse. Given a bit of playing time however, it shows that the band have stayed true to themselves. Or what others left for them. So while I go back to steak and potatoes, Blood Red Throne are basically sticking to their guns. And actually they are still going strong. Super tight as ever, the five-piece plow through 9 songs of precise, sharp death metal supported by punchy drumming and a nasty bass backing that occasionally shines through the otherwise rather clean production. Speaking of which, these guys are the unspoken kings of heavy-as-shit production jobs. Which hasn’t changed in the slightest.

Another thing that survived through the changes are the pretty neat groove sections and short epic leads (Torturewhore, 2:20) employed to break through the brutality and keep interest up among the inclined listeners. The thing about Blood Red Throne (present and past) is that they manage to sound very profoundly skilled without taking away even a tiny bit from the primal, straightforward heaviness of their material. So even though there naturally are some changes in sound, it seems that by and large, the band have managed to keep their DNA intact. – And that is no small feat, given the changeovers.

So while this might not be the definite Blood Red Throne album as the title suggests, it sure shows a band doing what they do best: Using surgical tools to craft caveman death metal. Keep me posted on the next one.

- Information
- Released: 2013
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Website: Blood Red Throne Bandcamp
- Band
- Yngve “Bolt” Christiansen: vocals
- Ivan “Meathook” Gujic: guitars
- Daniel “Død” Olaisen: guitars
- Ole “Bent” Madsen: bass
- Emil Wiksten: drums

- Tracklist
- 1. Soulseller
- 2. In Hell I roam
- 3. Hymn of the asylum
- 4. Primitive killing machine
- 5. Deatholation
- 6. Torturewhore
- 7. Exoneration manifesto
- 8. Dødens makt
- 9. March of the undying