Released on: 21st February 2020
Do not let the doom-styled introduction of Threnos lull you into a false sense of despair because this new album reaches far beyond the bands humble beginnings. With a touch of symphony the first track alludes to the grandeur you can expect of the eighth album from On Thorns I Lay. Accompanied by fearless maudlin the Athenian legends have again touched on the muse that made previous album Crystal Tears a golden needle in a haystack.
Leaning more towards the groups original death metal sound Threnos is a melodic death metal album that exudes sophistication like a cat exudes nonchalance. Threnos shows a more grounded approach than earlier albums (pre-fourteen-year-hiatus) and is, at least, a consistent follow-up to 2018’s Aegean Sorrow. And at best a teaser of things to come.
That may be due to the lack of diversity in tone with much of the focus intended to be placed on the guitar throughout the compositions. And the vocals while crisp in the mix do not offer much contrast against the robust tone of the instrument. While the pacing on the album denies the emotional impact of the music. By implying a framework for composition without the excitement of spurious rhythms.
In addition to that there is so much mid-range timbre here on Threnos that whomever mastered it has to be given their dues. As production-wise it is a beautiful album. Yet these comparisons are all made againsr previous works and it would be unfair to measure this album solely by the merits of another.
Threnos is a solid album with great riffs. And not much else. There is a lot of filler material here. But it is high quality filler, but filler nonetheless.
7/10
