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ENTHRONED “Ashspawn”
ENTHRONED “Ashspawn”
By Dr. Abner Mality
For me, Belgium’s ENTHRONED has always been one of those bands who have just “been there” over their long career. They’ve endured through tragedy and never really put out a bad album. But they’ve never put out a classic, either. They are steadfastly orthodox in their approach to black metal and that hasn’t changed with “Ashspawn”.
Listening to this new opus, my overall opinion of ENTHRONED hasn’t changed, but I will chalk that up to just personal preference. If you like orthodox black metal that’s grimmer than a cancer diagnosis and well produced to boot, you won’t go far wrong with “Ashspawn”. They remind me of MARDUK more than anyone else but maybe not as fast. Indeed, ENTHRONED seem to thrive in the more mid-paced and deliberate examples of black metal like “Stillborn Litany” and “Ashen Advocacy” that have a real feeling of oppressive doom to them. Not that they neglect the faster side of the genre; “Basilisk Triumphant”, the title track and “Sightless” all tick that side of the box.
It is said this album was put together with the aid of occult author Gilles de Laval. I’m sure there is a philosophical side to the record, but by the time “Assertion” flies into the coop, the spell of ENTHRONED has pretty much worn off on me. That’s just me, though. If you enjoy the likes of MARDUK, 1349 and even BEHEMOTH, “Ashspawn” should be to your taste.
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