THRON is a hybrid beast of black metal and death metal. Taking inspiration from DISSECTION, SACRAMENTUM, WATAIN and others, the band has a sound which evokes the hottest fires of hell, and also atmospheres of freezing cold.

The drum patterns are relentless, the vocals vicious and the guitar riffs find the balance between over-the-top "evil" and genuinely sinister. There's also a variation between tracks that lean more towards the death metal sound (such as "Bloodfeast"), and those that lean towards the black metal end of the spectrum (e.g. "Orphaned by the undertaker"). The variety is a strength of the album, and shows a successful fusion of these genres.

This is unpretentious, straightforward blackened death metal, and it works well for the band. After a few listens, I had discovered all there was to discover about the music, but I certainly didn't get bored. Overall, these guys know how to craft songs which hook the listener in. I thought that the main riff in "Purified in Fire" did wear a little thin, but it wasn't a major quibble. For me, there was a WATAIN-like sound in the riffs on "Satan's speech". There are some great leads in the mix as well, such as on "Mutilation of the unholy" and "Bloodfeast". ZIV's drumming smoothly transitions the songs into their different sections. The drum rolls on "The evilution of satan" hint at the unholiness which is about to unfold.

I thought that both ZIV's drums and SXIII's rumbling bass were well-placed in the mix; the latter's sound added heft to the sinister atmosphere of the music. And of course the sinister picture was completed by the SAMCA's strong vocals. There was good sustain on his screams, such as on "Purified in fire", and his performance was especially powerful on "Orphaned by the Undertaker".

THRON are off to a good start on this debut, and there's a confidence to their sound. If you're looking for a good dose of no-frills blackened death, then this album is sure to give you your fix.