Threnody

I have been a fan of these guys for a while, I guess you could say almost since their inception. After the release of Kingdom of Might, my fondness for their sound just skyrocketed. The album embodies the perfect balance of melody and full on brutality, not to mention the fantastic transitions between the riffs. On with Threnody though.

To say I am a bit dissapointed would be fair, but this is still a fantastic album with some noteworthy flaws. Threnody begins with the "minute" long intro (Telestai), setting an appropriate tone for the album as did the intro on Kingdom of Might. However, the difference being "Telestai" is comprised of your normal instruments (guitar and drums) and not only synths. "Telestai" begins with a bang, containing the first riff off the album, which is the same riff played in the outro of "Creatures of the Mire". Its obvious why this riff is played two different times on the album. Its a catchy, chuggy "middle eastern" type riff that commands your head to bang. "Telestai" then proceeds into a little tremolo lead which transitions into a nice sweep picking section. Right off the bat, you can tell these guys know their way around their respective instruments, but will the songwriting be equally as impressive?

Up next, is arguably the most brutal track on the album, "Creatures of the Mire". This song is intense, but you will also find some of the catchiest riffs off the entire album in this song. It boasts a catchy "breakdown" esque section (not a single note one mind you) and is complemented well by Chris' captivating lyrics. This track never really lets up until the solo part which is played with a high degree of happiness, but in the blink of an eye, descends back into the brooding atmosphere that was overwhelmingly present throughout.

Now, up until hearing track 5 off this album, I believed WoT would never compose a song that surpassed the perfection that is "Break the Fangs of the Wicked" off their previous album. "Threnody" just so happens to be that track and is surprisingly the longest song the band has written thus far, clocking in at a fair 6:27. "Threnody" begins with a minute long acoustic intro, reminding me of something Into Eternity could have put on their "Buried Into Oblivion" album. Its got nice plodding "medieval" vibe to it. Then promptly, the distored epicness begins! Instantly after the acoustic intro, the listener is bombarded with a quick, "epic" sounding chord progression that just commands your attention and additionally complemented by a nice keyboard passage. Throughout the first 4 minutes, the listener is smothered with an array of intricate, enthralling riffs until the track climaxes with the most insane chorus the band has ever written. "Threnody" more or less ends after a burst into an uplifting keyboard passage transitioning into a fantastic traditional heavy metal style solo. This would be the one track that has to be heard off this album. Bravo.

One aspect I will concede to this release over KoM is the technicality and speed of Johnny's drumming. It has gotten even more relentless, and he seems to cram in as many fills as he can into every part of every song though. With that being said, he has gotten considerably better at playing, but sometimes the drumming is all over the place it seems and a bit overbearing during some passages of certain songs. However, more often than not, its relentless quality only aids in the brutality of this release.
Chris' lyrics again are focused on spirituality to a degree, but seem to be scaled back a bit as far as the mention of biblical stories, or at least thats how I interpret it. A story is told concerning an individuals travels from planet to planet searching for answers. He starts off graceful and good natured, but overtime, descends into one who is grieving over his change into a new person. Eventually at the end of the search, he hopes for a second chance, attempting to become his old self. He cannot fully understand the sacrifice required in the beginning and this leads to his downfall. It appears these lyrics weren't thought up over night and great effort was put into creating an evocative overall story. Vocals are delivered on this album in a pretty standard melodic death manner, but the variation between a throaty scream and gutturals is perfect. I hate to sound too hyperbolic, but the vocals are presented with a distinct confidence and it truly feels like you are being told a story.

The only track on this album that is a overwhelming disapointment would be "The Venus Orbit". Its the sole instrumental (not counting the intro) and is basically great idea repeated over and over and over. From my understanding, Nick Dozer came up with this on his sitar and consists of some "middle eastern" styled drumming to go along with it. I believe this could have been a great instrumental if the idea that got repeated for three minutes was expanded upon and additionally, a few tempo changes occured. It sounds genuinely composed, and not some cheesy, forced middle eastern instrumental played by an american band which is a plus. It started off great, but gets extremely boring after the first minute unfortunately.

Woe of Tyrants made a bold move and implemented a few synth sections into this album, something I honestly wouldn't have imagined them doing. However, it paid off as it enhances the the chord progressions they accompany, giving these parts a very grand and epic feel. Even with all the positives I have expressed, its fair to say this album is a slight step backward. They have definitely ventured into new territory this time around and the creativity present fortunately, is not lacking. Woe of Tyrants are onto something with this interesting variation in sound and if they keep the synths and the drawn out, throaty choruses, I expect the next album to be their most innovative amalgamation of melodic death/thrash yet.