Somnus Throne is a relatively new Doom Metal band that draws upon the blood of the earth to channel sinister forces into mournful thunder.

The members of this band are from/have been all over the US: New Orleans, Los Angeles, Portland, and San Antonio. All over west of the Mississippi River, that is. This is their debut album, and it presents a classic sound as its foundation. The building blocks of doom are all here, taken to their logical extensions and combined with such an insistent compositional approach that it becomes an intentional chant, a mantra.

After an intro bit, the album features four long songs, the first three at the ten minute mark and the last almost at fifteen. I have always thought that doom is best expressed in extended passages, so these stats bode well. “Sadomancer” gives a nice opening statement/warning – “Satan is ever ready to seduce us with sexual delights.” Mmhmm. The vocals are ethereal, distant and almost detached. The guitars are like giant stone wheels rolling over the landscape and crushing it to powder. This combination is hypnotic. A third of the way through we are goosed by a sharp pain, sudden and therefore unexpected, then back to the wheel. “Shadow Heathen” has a greater mechanical activity, and it carries a more direct message while maintaining the mysteriousness established with the opener. The lead guitar exploration in the back half of the song is a sword edge seeking flesh.

Side two starts with “Receptor Antagonist,” which itself starts with a burst of anger then lays out a river of guitar distortion to glide upon. The vocals on this piece have a real feeling of desperation, and the pace cranks up to set the stage for a waling lead break. The longest song is saved for last, “Aetheronaut~Permadose,” and it has a beautiful, lulling intro – sort of like holding your face gently for a moment before punching it. The vocals are positively growling here, and the threat is real. The music builds a wall around you but also works from your insides out. All-encompassing and saturating. Relentless. Recommended.

Somnus Throne is out now. To buy the digital, go to the Burning World Records Bandcamp page. To buy physical versions in the US, go to the Band’s Bandcamp page. Links below.

Links.

Somnus Throne Bandcamp, https://somnusthrone.bandcamp.com/

Somnus Throne Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/TrueSomnist

Label website, https://www.burningworldrecords.com

Label Bandcamp, https://burningworldrecords.bandcamp.com

Label Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/burningworldrecords