Deep within the forests the wolves gather to the call of the Lycanthropic Throne and their debut release Forest of the Ancient Warspirit. Calling upon the old sounds of 90s Polish and German black metal, Lycanthropic Throne are able to take this rather timeless sound and reforge it with their raw and sadistic intentions. This is pure black metal, and its certainly a strong debut.
With a haunting synth intro luring the listener deeper into the dark forests, it sets the mood perfectly for this album, somewhere in between melodic and medieval, these wolves go straight for the throat in the following track, which bares the same title as the album. Its guitars are gritty and melodic, the vocals are a dark mixture of nostalgia and brutality. Its rather catchy and all around well written, you can’t help but be swept away in the atmospheric and melodic riffs that truly inspire warspirits from within. Much of that carries all throughout the album and much of it is thanks to the incredible drumming present all throughout. Its all incredibly tight yet feels loose and focused in, someone who clearly is comfortable behind the instrument. The vocals are harsh and and guttural and dripping with emotion. It truly cements that classic feel of this release especially with the gritty lofi production. A long lost relic stuck in time.
To me this was a pleasant surprise, its always hit or miss with these types of releases. That demo style of production is such a fine line between muddying everything up and ruining the instrumentation itself. Lycanthropic Throne are able to strike that perfect balance where the raw, gritty production really help push that dark and foreboding atmosphere especially when mixed with the grindingly melodic riff that drones in the background. With plenty of lead guitar work layered on top to keep things diverse, there’s a focused melodic rage that with those leads that get drilled into my head and have me humming them. Simply infectious.
This is an incredibly solid debut release that slipped under my radar towards the end of the 2023. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on this band and any future releases they make. Highly recommend for those who lean into the old 90s sound.