Mushroom Clouds and Dusk

Thornium was laid to rest shortly after the release of the "Dominions of the eclipse" album back in 95, but was apparently reactivated in 2008 (which I didn’t know). So when I first read something about a release I didn’t pay much attention to it since I thought it was just a re-release of said album. But label-man Jorn set me straight; this was brand new material and a brand new album. 'After so many years on ice could Thyph still deliver', went through my mind.

But I gotta say, soon after pressing play "Mushroom clouds and dusk" takes me back in time to the late 90ies when Sorhin and Thy Primordial ruled my stereo. Flashbacks towards the earlier material of Dark Funeral and Marduk also hits me. Yeah, this is what black metal used to sound like; fast, unrelenting, harsh blasting. Nowadays it tends to sound too clean and crisp, but Thornium knows how to keep as raw and ferocious as it used to be. Although that doesn’t mean this is in any way old school á la the early Norwegian scene, but that this is Swedish 90ies black metal revamped.

The drumming goes fast; fast-as-hell, accompanied by icy riffing that goes by so fast you’re not really sure what hit you. Extremely rough, gnarly screams lurk in the midst of it all. To keep things interesting there are some wicked hooks thrown in, like a sudden break, a semi-melodic guitar line, or like in the opening track "Döden" an abrupt and killer guitar solo. When they take it slow you have a chance to recuperate from the unrelenting speed and hammering to take in the riffing on an entirely different level, and you realize they really do know how to write and perform cold and lethal riffs. To add a little more atmosphere to it all you’ll find some occasional use of keys, but in the subtle way so that it doesn’t seize control, but adds dimension and feel to the music.

"Mushroom clouds and dusk" have been terrorizing my neighbors over and over for a while now. This is such a blast from the past and I’m loving it. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take as long for a new album to find its way to the audience.

Originally written for http://www.mylastchapter.net