Oh my fucking Satan, from South Africa?!

It's not a joke of mine and no kind of disrespectful mention, not at all, but this really strange to me to hear a South African band, because by media this writer always thing of a people more focused in their more popular music, and not in Metal. But THRONE BELOW, a one man band from Bloemfontein, is really great, and their first album, "Defy Deceit Destroy", is a fine piece of aggressive Metal.

A more traditional and atmospheric Black Metal is what we all can hear, and besides we can hear some influences from new trends in the style, it's almost a SWOBM (Second Wave of Black Metal. Please, if you're going to use this anagram in the future; remember to give me the credits, ok?) sound, with good harsh vocals (all in high pitch tunes), great guitar riffs (both climatic and fast), bass and drums forming a strong and good rhythmic basis. As a whole, it's a piece of morbid music, with influences that can remind us all from WATAIN, MAYHEM, and something from older work from DØDHEIMSGARD (when they played Black Metal. The vocals reminds of Vicotnik sometimes).

The sound production, by my words above can depict, is raw, in the SWOBM ways, giving a morbid and darkened feeling to the band's music. But it's heavy and you'll hear all instruments, but I ask of you all to remember: it's the Black Metal's core to sound this way.

The album is very good, indeed, and to all those who miss the old Black Metal sound will have violent raptures, especially for tracks like "Defy Deceit Destroy", the morbid "Dark Evocation" (good riffs!), "Profane Ceremony" (a very sinister track, but some melodies arise from the guitar solo), the oppressive "Sombrous Ascension" (great vocal work, going from sinister whisperings to harsh voices), and "Heretic by Nature".

Good first coming, so hope to a new one soon.