Band:	Enthroned
Album:	Towards The Skullthrone Of Satan
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	1997
Guest review by:	antonio

01. Satan's Realm
02. The Ultimate Horde Fights
03. Ha Shaitan
04. Evil Church
05. The Antichrist Summons The Black Flame
06. The Forest Of Nathrath
07. Dusk Of Forgotten Darkness
08. Throne To Purgatory
09. When Horny Flames Begin To Rise
10. Hertogenwald
11. Final Armageddon (Epilogue)

This is the second full length of the Black Metal band from Belgium called Enthroned. "Towards the Skullthrone of Satan" was released 2 years after their first "Prophecies of Pagan Fire" from 1995. And the line-up that recorded this CD is not the same as it is today. Sabathan, vocalist/bassist, has always been in the band, but drummer Cernunnos that started the band with Sab took his life just before the recording started. The suicide of Cernunnos was a heavy blow for the band, but they wanted to continue. So Sabathan and the two guitarists Nornagest and Nebiros hired in a session drummer and the recording could begin.

After listening to the intro, I was ready to go in to Satan's realm, and the first song to blow my ears was "The Ultimate Horde Fights". It is a fast song, not as brutal as Gorgoroth, far away from Cradle of Filth, and very good. "Ha Shaitan" is a bit like song 02, but not so good. "Evil Church" is a satanic masterpiece that got some melodic parts. The next track is good, especially in the end. "The Forest of Nathrath" is amazing, especially the guitars have done a great work there.
After that is an excellent intro to an excellent song named "Dusk of Forgotten Darkness" and that one also got some melodic parts. "Throne to Purgatory" is - from my point of view - not as good as the other songs. It is very plain and doesn't impress me at all. After that come two of the best songs along with "Evil Church"; "When Horny Flames Begins to Rise" and "Hertogenwald". They make the top3 with their melodic touch.

The last song on the album is nothing, just some strange sounds that adds the finishing touch to a very good album. As I said in the beginning, this isn't the rawest of the rawest in black metal. But they don't let the melodic parts take up to much space.

An excellent album by an excellent band.