ALBUM REVIEW: Valkyrja – Throne Ablaze

Here I review the new album from Black Metallers Valkyrja. This album is there forth and will be released on WTC Productions on November 26th.

1. In Ruins I Set My Throne opens things with eerie ambience, setting a dark tone that is quite unsettling. The dark guitar melodies are sorrowful and further push the sombre vibe of the introduction. This was a really cool way to start things off.
2. Crowned Serpent comes right in with epic drum fills and barrages of cold riffs. The beautifully melancholic and bleak tone of the music is precisely harsh but also filled with aggression. The vocals rip through verses with haste and just sound totally awesome. The fierce vibe of the band is perfectly put together and hits with plentiful force but equally with melody and life. The soulful lead guitars are reminiscent of something from Dissection’s “Reinkaos” album which was a gorgeous touch. The track is full of such stunning songwriting that was entirely mesmerising to listen to. A blistering opening number with monolithically huge soundscapes utilised beautifully, excellent work.
3. Opposer of Light drones in with more bleak opening riffs that have an icy touch to the sound. The drums and bass have a really strong warmth to them however, which totally contrasts the guitars but sounds absolutely amazing. The marching beat of the track is incredibly blunt before soaring into glacial walls of abyss assaulting Black Metal force. There are some really awesome Black n Roll type grooves in this song among the ferocious and huge atmospherics that added an awesome kick to the track. The total strength of this piece was hypnotically wonderful while also being filled with melody and grace.
4. Tombs Into Flesh grinds out menacing brutality with such high velocity that I was caught off guard. The riffs and drums tear you apart with their sheerly violent attack which is just fantastic. The guitar solos are piercing and just gorgeous while the whole rhythm section is just insane. The precision and skill of the band on this track is perfect. This song is a really grisly and morbid journey into the bands darker side of their songwriting. Another quality track.
5. Halo of Lies is a more distant feeling track with cleaner guitars creating walls of dissonance and waves of sheerly beautiful Black Metal that is just so transcendental to listen to. The melodic yet harsh vibe of the song is not unlike Watain, a band I adore so this track for me was some really solid Black Metal nostalgia that also featured some really epic guitar progressions. Stunning!
6. Transcendental Death fires out more dissonance with bleak riffs that are so beautifully written and emotive that I immediately knew I would enjoy this track. The abysmally hateful track is just so damn epic, with huge orchestral feelings to the cascading guitars and drums, rawly demonic vocals that combine to make this truly lifelike piece of worship to extremity. The huge growth that occurs throughout each track is even more prevalent in this one, I loved it! So truly emotive and gripping with perfect fluidity between sections. Amazing material, very impressed!
7. Paradise Lost follows up with much more brutal assaults. The driven drums and obliterating riffs just fire waves of aggression but also atmosphere at you. The intense and brilliant songwriting has been so consistent and this is no exception. The much more abrasive vibe of the song offers perfect balance to the harmonious melodies from the lead guitars and other more melancholic pieces, overall giving a very well rounded and appealing experience throughout. Gorgeously played by the whole band, this track killed it!
8. Throne Ablaze gives an ending to the album that opens with eerie female vocals that are just haunting. There is an uneasy unpredictability to the introduction that I love. More sombre yet grisly riffs join us once more with their piercing tones before the drums join in giving a funeral march pace to the track. The song grows into a much more chaotic and hate filled beast very quickly though. Things seem to shift impressively fast between the slow burn appeal of an early 70s Horror Movie to utter hellish, tormenting and demonic assaults very quickly. The varied and diverse approach to this final track was absolutely incredible and a totally fantastic way to end things.

Valkyrja have returned with some of the most impressive Blackened Death Metal the band have ever put out. The sheerly icy and demented feel of the album was volatile and just generally incredibly well put together. Following on from their prior releases very nicely. -7.5/10