Rating: 9.4

Country: Poland

Release Date: 2005

Track list:
1. Cadaveric Cult (Varf-Shub-Niggurath)
2. The Way Through Dungeon Tombs
3. Evil Worship
4. Creatures Of Darkness And Sadness
5. Queen Goat Whore
6. Cruel Flesh Devourment
7. Their Altar
8. We Summon Thee
9. I Invoke You Gods Of The Night
10. Pestilent Death
11. Damnation
12. Black Pharaoh Of Oncoming Era Of Horus
13. Forbidden Words
14. Primordial Conception
15. Mass Of Black Locusts (Outro)

Band Website: Throneum

Throneum - Pestilent Death

Tomasz- Guitars, Vocals
Marek- Drums
Maras- Bass

One might begrudge Throneum for their dogged obstinacy, or bemoan the apparent ‘'artistic stasis'' that has resulted in a prodigiously prolific career littered with largely samey sounding recordings. Yet, such contentions seem foolhardy when one considers how bloody GOOD Throneum are at what they do, and how awesomely frightening each and every record sounds. In terms of sheer, vitriolic aggression, Throneum are as unabashed and unfettered as you get in today's blastier-than-thou landscape, and one certainly gets the sense that they don't give a damn if you disagree.

If you're new to Throneum, their distinctive brand of reckless savagery will no doubt be a rude revelation- imagine the 'Altars-Of-Madness'-gone-awry abandon of Angelcorpse siphoned through an Australian funnel (Slaughterlord grind-thrash meets Stargazer sprint and SadEx pummel) and projected forth with Order Of Chaos intensity. As chaotic as it sounds, Throneum never fail to emit an obscure, mystical, malefic atmosphere that is equal parts OFC and Imperator, lending their work a bewitching, mesmeric quality that is almost at odds with the seemingly careless, unhinged nature of their compositions. Atonal, off-balance riffs dance precariously atop audaciously incessant grinding rhythms, creating bloodstained deluges of harrowing, holocaustic sound, bilious and noxious clouds through which individual riffs are only barely discernible. Atop all this whirring, frenetic chaos, Tomasz' breathless bellows are barked forth with alarming urgency and desperation, anguished gasps struggling for life in the asphyxiating cacophony. Occassionally, of course, the “Immortal Rites”-on-fast-forward blur settles into a BRUISING breakdown- the sludgey, mud-flinging groove that closes “Cadaveric Cult (Varf-Shub-Niggurath)” for instance, or, indeed, the entirety of the MONOLITHIC title track, a numbingly nightmarish, despondent affair that plunges you headfirst into a putrid, shoggoth-infested bog and cackles heinously as you struggle for both life and sanity. It does help that the mix is absolutely appropriate for Throneum's hellish hubbub- remarkably spontaneous and unrestrained, devoid entirely of polish or refinement, and with just the RIGHT amount of cavernous reverb on the vocals.

There isn't a whole lot more to say about this remarkable band- you either get them or you don't. Throneum aren't here to win prizes for subtlety, and they surely will not win admirers amongst those of you who expend vast amounts of time over-intellectualizing death metal (read: anus.com types). The hallways of 'Pestilent Death' are not bedecked with intricate sextuple-tracked guitar harmonies, studio trickery or jarring tempo shifts, this is a warpspeed, full-throttle thrust through death metal's seediest underbelly, and while I suspect not all of you will be up to the task, those of you with intestinal fortitude will be rewarded with one of the most satisfying death metal platters in recent memory. NOTE: please check out Morbid Execution, the Throneum side project for more morbid malevolence!

September 7th, 2006