Knut / Blood Red Throne Altered Genesis

Death metal is a genre that leveled new ground when it was introduced. It was faster, heavier, and more devastating than any of its contemporaries upon its arrival. Current death metal is in a state of limbo. It is generally still faster and heavier than most of the crap out there, but so what if it doesn't have some inkling of originality or umph Much death metal now is the same rehashed riffs that weren't that amazing in the first place. The bands that continue to flourish and create new, interesting death metal are few and far between. Blood Red Throne is one of those bands. Lead behind the guitars of Tchort (ex-Emperor), Blood Red Throne plays what can only be described as no-nonsense death metal that is well worth any death metal fan's time.Also having a dabbling hand in black metal (Carpathian Forest) and rock (Green Carnation), Tchort knows what he is doing even if the output is not characteristically Norwegian, or even European. With other equally talented musicians in tow, Blood Red Throne produces something that is much closer to American death metal. After an introduction that the record could do without, Altered Genesis immediately lets the listener know what is going on and why they are here. The sound is immense, if not slightly overproduced. Perhaps the first outstanding element of this recording is the drumming. This is some of the most tasteful drumming on a metal album in a long time. The blast beats are superb and blindingly fast. Regardless of tempo, a solid sense of groove is felt throughout the duration of the record. The guitars are very well placed and keep the listener interested. Another note is that there are no wanker solos. Everything is played as a creative foundation, without it sounding like repetitive nu metal. The bass is another noticeable part of this release. With a very high end sound reminiscent of Cryptopsy, the bass is very complimentary of the guitar in that its forward presence and discordant melodies feel like the player is ripping the strings off right in front of you. The vocals are also very fitting for the style. The vocalist doesn't stray much from the low growl that is somewhere between an all out scream and the ultra-low cookie monster vocals of grind bands. Bottom Line: Blood Red Throne is a band that should be in any death metal listener's collection. The music on this offering is extremely solid and has no real weakness unless you simply don't like death metal. Again, the sound is very much American, possibly somewhere between Death and Cannibal Corpse, so don't think you're going to get melodic European metal when you hear these guys are from Norway. There is no hardcore influence, no synthesizers, no unneeded melodies, no ridiculous solos. From beginning to end, this release is pure metal.