Throne Of Evil "Orator" CD

Throne Of Evil in the year of the pest 2020, present a Schattenlunt Prod label. release: "ORATOR"

Recorded, mixed & mastered from july to december of 2018 in Equinox Media Studio - Rancagua - Chile

Black metal from South-America and especially Chile has long come into its own. A lot of respected underground labels have released albums having their origin over there and so it did not come as surprise to me when I saw the new album by Throne of Evil, brought to us by Schattenkult Produktionen. I have missed out on their debut full length “Muerte por creencias”, but based on the quality shown on album number two “Orator” this failure will soon be corrected. I could keep this review very short by just saying in case you like traditional South-American black metal with its rumbling bass, steely drum excesses and raw yet melodic and groovy nature, then this one should be a no-brainer.
Hooky and sometimes unorthodox guitar harmonies are often dwelling in the background, while the stoic and hypnotic basic chords are responsible for a dense atmosphere. The traditional chord progressions are combined with melodic trademark lead lines, giving each song its very own character. The speed is not always that fast, but of course there are passages where the tempo is upped. However, the melodic harmonies and the fantastic hooks make the record a very enjoyable affair from start to finish.
Some catchy and more ambient parts help ramping up the atmosphere. The song-writing is polished, offering some nice surprises along the way, with the single parts always merged into fascinating tracks. Some of the songs are quite lengthy, offering nice build-ups and interesting twists. Together with the interplays those songs form one piece of dark art. Some of the hooks and melodies are really memorable and will give the listener something to remember after a few spins. That being said, the music also creates a bleak atmosphere and offers a certain kind of melancholic beauty, so there is always some kind of contrast inherit in the music.
The drumming is straight-forward, and while there are a lot of faster double-beat sections and a lot of details like fills or rhythm changes to highlight certain parts it never feels nervous or overly chaotic. Throne of Evil have put a lot of emphasis on presenting stringent songs and a nicely flowing album, so each fan of black metal should have no problems enjoying “Orator” from the first spin onwards.
The album is rounded off by a stunning cover, kept in black and gold, and a nice production job. The guitars sound clear and the drums have enough punch and a natural and organic feel. While there is always something going on in the background and atmosphere is of highest importance, there is a certain level of rawness, giving the album enough grittiness to be of interest for any fan of heavy yet harmonic music.

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