Thronar
For Death & Glory
7.9
Do you have a favorite boulder you like to lift? To keep tradition, do you find yourself taking off your tunic before your weekly wrestling match? Did you accidentally throw a spear at your brother the other night? If you answered yes to any of those questions, For Death and Glory was recorded with you and your kin in mind.
With manly titles like “To Kill and Be King” and “Where Sword, Axe, and Bow Strike Together,” Thronar’s debut full-length could never be accused of pandering to the increasingly trendy girly-man aesthetics of modern metal. In other words, if this band were a) to give birth to a kid and b) be in possession of a truck, the latter’s bumper sticker would read, “My brat impaled your honor roll student with a bow staff.” On their website, which is now under construction, the homepage describes the group as “Battle Metal.” This is a rare case of accurate first-party publicity, a phenomenon we rarely see in metal, because too many labels and groups are touting their next release as the heaviest thing on the planet next to Tommy Lee’s dick.
Ah, the music, you say? Painfully obvious to my ear, this mayhem deserves to be dubbed Blackened, Folk-infused Battle Metal. Of note is the fact that this five-piece from the Netherlands plays with no pretension. I can only imagine that before concerts they stand in the backroom applying makeup, stoic expressions on their faces the whole time; the faces of men preparing to conquer faraway nations. You will hear everything from total pagan growls to delightfully inaudible screams of anguish on this record, and my feeling is that these guys would have it no other way. The vocal combination works well throughout, and matches the pummeling drive of the guitar tone, which shifts according to the mood of the lyrics, creating quite a haunting atmosphere. I can’t say that I am a huge Viking or Battle Metal aficionado, but when I listen to this I feel like conquering a few weak nations myself (France, maybe?), which should give you the impression that Thronar comes more correct than Ben Stein when he really wants to hold onto his money. Don’t hesitate to entertain your ears and give these hungry heathens a listen, especially you bastards that religiously follow the sounds of groups like Ensiferum.
