Eternal Throne is the debut release of a promising Black Metal trio, Battle Dagorath. Surprisingly, these guys are from the States, but I would presume they must have some European origin, as one can see per their style and song titles. Interesting to know that the intro and outro were written and performed by Vinterriket who also mastered this album. One could recognized the stark and coldness of the ambient, keyboard driven work of Vinterriket.
Battle Dagorath plays a very cold, ghostly, and melodic style of Black Metal. Their take is very pleasant to listen, for it varies in tempo from the fast pace to moderate moments, where darkened atmospheres rule. The rawness of their sound just adds the right amount of coldness, making the compositions sounding neither over or badly produced. Great ghostly/discrete rasps tell the tales of Tolkien inspired, as well as frozen landscapes, subject matters. Bleak / fuzzed guitars and subdued drumming contribute in creating a purely somber and melancholic scenery. I can't say that Eternal Throne is a masterpiece, and even if that style is not unique, Battle Dagorath managed to have their own sound. I liked the ambient instrumental pieces "Carn Dûm" and "Dämmerstunde (einklang)" as well as the Black Metal anthems "The Dark Fire, The Black Gate" and "The Marching Shadows of Eternal Death". Their strongest composition is definitely the awesome track #5, "Into the Forest of Frozen Darkness" (great title for one thing), where you'll sink into a world of clean vs. distorted arpeggios, crunchy riffs, mid to fast paces, coldness and melancholic atmospheres.
Track Listing
1 - Archtyp des Schicksals (Ausklang)
2 - Carn Dûm
3 - Dämmerstunde (Einklang)
4 - Dead Eyes of the Moon
5 - In the Forest of Frozen Darkness
6 - Ruin Upon the Mountainside
7 - The Dark Fire, The Black Gate
8 - The Marching Shadows of Eternal Death
9 - Under the Warlord Spell
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