vote
7.5
- Band:
Throne of Iron - Duration: 00:45:55
- Available since: 07/03/2025
- Label:
-
No Remorse Records
Streaming not yet available
The Throne of Iron of Bloomington, Indian, perfectly embody the most authentic spirit of American epic metal. As stated by the leader himself, the singer and guitarist Tucker Thomasson, in fact, the idea of forming a band was born in the aftermath of the death of Mark Shelton of the Manilla Roads, which took place in 2018. The event represented, for the musician, a moment of pain and reflection so deep as to push him to create the project as a tribute to the epic metal and stars and strips.
The sound of the formation, therefore devoted to Manilla Road, Cyrith Ungol and Brocas Helm, dominated by an imaginary fantasy inspired by glorious battles and the classic themed role -playing games, was built in a short time thanks to a dozen minor publications, between demo, singles and splits, which fueled the cult between 2018 and 2020 until the publication, in full pandemic, of the debut. “Adventure One”.
After five years of silence, the band returns to the track with its second full-length, simply entitled “Adventure Two”, a job that confirms the good quartet skills showing, compared to the previous one, a more robust and defined production, which however maintains a proudly underground aura.
The riffs are more sharp (“The Final Rage” and “Upon a Bloody Shore”, in this sense, are the most close rhythm section of Tucker Thomasson as an anthology of the genre), which has abandoned the nasal song to there Mark Shelton of the first demo, is safer and more incisive with low and virile tones, in line with the style of groups of the new wave as and Eternal Champion. Epic melodies and dark atmospheres are the masters in the introductory “Denied” and “The Oath”, but it is going to the bottom with the listening that emerge the most interesting skills of Thomasson's crew.
Episodes such as the brace composed of “The First Loss” and “The Final Rage”, which changes dynamics by entering into atmospheres 'Dungeon Metal' with an instrumental creepy crescendo, and “The Ninth Level”, with a glorious ending that closes the ladder solemnly, perfectly embody the combative mood of the culminating disk in the “The City of Brass “, who with his feeling warrior manages to keep alive the legacy of a genre that has always been a niche but has collected, over time, some of the most faithful followers of the whole panorama of metal underground.
The Throne of Iron, therefore, after a period of growth and stylistic aging that lasted a few years, managed to perfect the quality of their proposal leaving the spontaneous and raw approach intact. There is still a little road to do to reach the aura of worship proudly sported by young colleagues such as Eternal Champion, Atlantean Kodex or Lunar Shadow who, while skidding the usual musical references, filter their influences with more decisive personalities, but “Adventure Two” will be able to satisfy fans and make new proselytes under the star, always bright, of Mark. Shelton and his Manilla Roads.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
