Band:	Thronar
Album:	For Death And Glory
Style:	Atmospheric black metal, Folk metal
Release date:	April 2005
A review by:	Undercraft

01. To Kill And Be King
02. Gift From The Gods
03. The Hunt For Vengeance
04. Crimnor Valora
05. Dainar's Last Rites
06. For Death & Glory
07. Screams Of Thunder
08. Where Sword, Axe And Bow Strike Together
09. The Butcher's Bill

In our next album, let's hire a graphic designer ok?

It was a year or a couple of years ago when I received a Demo from a band from Holland, named Thronar, they played "Battle Metal" and it was a worthy effort, but it failed to convince me.

So, a couple of years passed by, we all got older and hornier and these guys finally released their full-length debut under the banner of new record label Seven Kingdoms.
When I received the Cd I was completely astonished by the awful artwork that graces the Cd, the whole graphic layout it's quite mediocre, including the band photos with their Mel Gibson make-up (there's no proof that William Wallace used make-up for battle).

Funny story, a bottle of rum was poured accidentally on the Cd the same week I received it (it was me and my never-ending clumsiness -and drunkenness-), the booklet was soaking, and it was ok, because like I said, the artwork sucked, but to my surprise, when it was dry, the booklet looked so much better with all the wrinkles made by the rum, it was like an ancient parchment, not bad right?

Pointless story apart, I wasn't expecting that much from this band, until I heard the Cd. It was bombastic, powerful and aggressive at parts. I was hoping for a high-pitched voice screaming FREDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM, but I got instead grunts and deep clean voices, alongside with some battlecries, not bad again right?

Think of Turisas meets Bal Sagoth, mix it with some thrashy riffs, ever-present keyboards and epic atmospheres and you got yourself a clear idea of how this might sound like. The album is catchy and has both aggressive and melodic elements, being the latter much more constant.

In the end, this is a nice album to hear once in a while, if you like the whole Epic Metal scene, if you like ugly-ass cover art & design, this is also for you. But seriously, maybe you ought to give a chance to this band, they have improved a lot since their Demo days, and if they keep this progression, I'm sure they'll be the next big thing in Epic Metal.