CLAIM THE THRONE

“On Desolate Plains”

(Album Review)

Claim The Throne’s 4^th full length album On Desolate Plains is due for release on the 13^th of October. It is with great pleasure that I received an advanced copy for review ahead of the album’s formal release.

Claim The Throne are mainstays of the Australian heavy music scene, but over the course of their 10+ year career they haven’t been afraid to evolve from their infamous beginnings as heavy drinking folk metal band. Their new release is a logical evolution form their previous album Forged In Flame (2013) but sees Claim The Throne continue to push their song writing and musicianship into new territories. Despite incorporating some relatively fresh elements into their sound the album manages to maintain their trademark sense of melody and atmosphere throughout – this album is by no means a departure from the established ‘Claim The Throne sound’, but whilst it’s still very much a Folk Metal release it’s arguably the most brutal Folk Metal release that you’re going to hear in 2017!

On Desolate Plains revolves around a concept of sorts; ‘A journey of desolation through the harsh Australian desert. A man is lured into the deep nothingness, dehydrated and hallucinating, grasping for a stream that he can never reach, and feasted upon by the bird who lured him there’. The concept for the album is intriguing and the way the band have gone about composing and ordering their music to reflect the journey certainly adds to the listening experience.

The album gets underway with Fury Entwined. A shimmering clean guitar lays the back drop for the introduction but quickly makes way for a layered, harmonised, folk style vocal melody which is eventually met by the fury of the rest of the band kicking in with full force. Fury Entwined is a really well developed song that contains plenty of memorable guitar interludes and sets the tone nicely. It’s a typically epic way to commence the album and will certainly keep fans of Claim The Throne’s previous albums very happy.

Fans who listen to Claim the Throne’s podcast ‘The Blodgecast’ will recognise the start of this next one! On Desolate Plains is a really heavy track and one of the standouts on the release for me. It’s a strong piece of music which keeps you on your toes as it negotiates through a myriad of different sections. It’s a guitar focussed arrangement but I really like the way the understated keyboard parts accentuate certain sections and add to the overall vibe.

Spirit Of Fire and Mantra were both chosen by the band for the album’s music videos. It’s not hard to see why – both tracks are very strong and reflect the style of the album very well. More over I’m sure that new and old fans will enjoy both of these tracks. Central to the two tracks are memorable chorus melodies and epic guitar lines and arrangements. The interplay of the clean and abrasive vocals is also major point of interest here too. I particularly enjoy Jesse Millea’s clean vocals. She carries the vocal melodies with an ethereal quality, and her style juxtaposes brilliantly against the deep growls employed by Brendon Capriotti and Jim Parker.

Where Night Passed & Sunlight Shone is my favourite track on the album. It’s got a great range of dynamics – from full throttle blast beat sections all the way to stripped back acoustic interludes. The drums laid down by Ash Large are brilliant, and on this track in particular I really rate his ability to show restraint at times and go full throttle at others. The track also showcases a head turning guitar solo contributed by Dean Paul Arnold (Vital Remains & Primalfrost) and a really uplifting outro. The way the band introduce and then elaborate to the chord progression in the latter part of the track is really memorable. Where Night Passed & Sunlight Shone is some of the best new music I’ve heard in 2017.

Silence Beckoning and Windfall are both up tempo tracks which are relatively concise compared to some of the more epic songs of the album. They’re both jam packed with melody and passion. They are a long way off what I’d call filler but if I allow myself to be a critic I would say that these tracks are perhaps my least favourite tracks on what is an ultra consistent and equally impressive album.

This Agony Endured stands out for incorporating a more modern, Melodic Death sort of sound (think hints of In Flames or Dark Tranquillity). It’s a memorable track with a solid groove which is unlike most of the other tracks on the album. From that respect I imagine that the song would be a strong addition to the bands live set.

My Dying Throes is another strong contender for my favourite track on the album. Jesse Millea handles the lead vocals for the first section of the track and she does a fantastic job handling the strong vocal melody. It’s another track which seems to add a bit of a modern Melodic Death edge to the establish Claim The Throne sound. The vast instrumental sections which anchor the second half of the song are really great and are probably the reason I enjoy the track so much. Definitely a track which will have you reaching out for the repeat button.

Everblade and Harbinger, Scavenger bring the story to it’s epic conclusion before Of Creation closes the album in a largely instrumental fashion . Everblade is a great track which will no doubt become a fan favourite over the coming years. On Harbinger, Scavenger you’d be forgiven for thinking that the band have enlisted George ‘Corpsegrinder’ Fisher to handle the guest vocals, with West Australian vocalist John Ryan from the old School Death metal band Suffer In Rot lending his deep gutturals to the piece . Of Creation allows Jesse Millea to show her proficiency on the keyboard in what is a really great piece of music and a fitting yet melancholy way to close the album.

Claim The Throne are a refreshingly honest band who, via their podcast, have been upfront and transparent about pretty much every aspect of their band, and show very little ego in the process. One of the things that listeners of their podcast will be fully aware of, is that the band have taken on the recording of the album ‘in house’. Ash Large (Drums/Engineering) has done a great job, especially when you consider how busy some of the tracks are, and how many layers of instruments and vocals are involved. The Album in general sounds every bit as good as the big name releases I’ve heard this year – top marks.