Dissonant and lethal, the debut, self-titled full-length from TRAGEDIENS TRONE hammered the Black Metal underground on Nov. 29. Blackened Death Metal that leans more towards the Black Metal side, this is a heavy yet atmospheric force to be reckoned with.

The riffs on this release are difficult. When it comes to the dissonant parts, the riffs tend to morph into one general sound, making them all sound the same. When the riff is atmospheric, then it becomes more memorable and unique to the specific track. The Death Metal-oriented riffs are the most memorable, notably on "Avgrunnsmarsj." When listening to this record it is necessary to give it time because it is so crowded and thick, yet so brief and airy.

"Entrance" sets the mood as dissonant and frenetic. Flowing through multiple passages with ease, the track shows every side of the band: atmospheric segments, heavy riffing and occasional clean vocals.

The album peaks halfway through on "The Bornless One" and "Stygian Fluke." The former of the two is an extremely relentless track with heavy riffs. Unlike most of the other tracks, this one has few bells and whistles, staying true to straight-forward, bleak and blackened harshness.

"Stygian Fluke" is different. Being the middle track, it serves as an interlude to the album. Over the course of six minutes, the track takes a Doom Metal route by staying stagnant on one riff the entire song. While lacking deviation, the riff is very effective in achieving a nice, even flow. The track slips by with a calm yet chaotic attitude, leaving the listener at peace before the high-octane riffs of "Erbrechen" roar.

Atmosphere is key with this band, and this is evident with every track, especially on "Siphon Anima," the album's grand, eight-minute finale. With a multitude of riffs and one, long atmospheric passage that concludes the song, this track is a very effective way to end the album. It only goes to show that with a strong start, middle, finish and anything in between, this album has a very strong structure.

It would take a while to go through every track's highlights, but it is hard to find something wrong with the album outside of the unidentifiability of most of the blackened riffs. Nevertheless, this is a great start to Tragediens Trone's discography. As an exercise in blackened atmosphere, the album expresses serenity through blast beats.