Pagan blackness from the depths of Germany
Throne of the Depths, the debut album from Germany's Drautran, might begin serenely enough with it's gently strummed acoustic guitars and lilting ambiance, but don't be fooled for a second. This is just the band's way of easing the listener into the sonic icestorm of buzzing black metal riffs, epic keyboards and blasting drums they're about unleash with all the fury of a horde of marauding barbarians.
Taking their cues from the likes of Immortal, Enslaved and of course the mighty Bathory, Drautran create cold and raging pagan metal with blackened overtones. The furious pace of the band's metallic side is balanced and enhanced by many atmospheric moments, giving the listener time to catch their breath and opening up what would otherwise be an extremely dense batch of songs. The keyboards and clean electric and acoustic guitars, along with a varied vocal approach, add layers and textures to the songs that keep them from falling into the monotony so common to black metal and its various offshoots. But that isn't to say the metallic side of Drautran is boring, in fact, far from it. Even at its most fervent, Throne of the Depths still has a strong sense of melody infused into its sonic framework, and the raw yet clear production keeps these melodies, as well as the individual instruments playing them, completely decipherable.
Structurally, the album flows in a very natural way thanks to the varied songwriting. The quiet moments offset the heavier aspects of each track and are placed at just the right junctures throughout the album, such as the acoustic arpeggios and female vocal melodies that comprise "Styrt ned i Maelstraumen", the song marking the album's halfway point, before "Sævar ni›r" kicks in with violent tremolo riffing and vocals that split the difference between a hoarse thrash metal holler and a gruff viking bellow. These adjacent tracks display Drautran as a band equally capable of creating sweeping, subdued beauty and sheer, devastating brutality. It is this balance that makes Throne of the Depths feel more like an audial journey than just another album about mythology and ancient battles.
Striking a near-perfect equilibrium between epic atmosphere and extreme heaviness is a line few bands are able to toe successfully, but Drautran appear up to the task and far exceed the lowered expectations one generally has for a young band. Overall, Throne of the Depths is an extremely engaging pagan/black metal album that can stand proudly alongside offerings from the genre's veteran acts.
| Reviewer: Josh Haun Added: November 12th 2007 |
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