Band:	Drautran
Album:	Throne Of The Depths
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	October 29, 2007
A review by:	Lucas

01. Zum Haff Hinaus...
02. Blót - Lohen Der Opferung
03. An Den Pforten Des Sturmes
04. Gebaren Des Sterbens In Klanglosen Sphären
05. Sævar Niðr
06. Styrt Ned I Mælstraumen
07. Dusk Of The Fimbulwinter
08. Hehre Runen In Dämmer Und Eis
09. Gen Niflheim...

For a German Black Metal band singing about Norse Mythology, the intro of Drautran's début 'Throne Of The Depths' is rather mellow. A classic example of 'silence before the storm', as we are to discover soon. Acoustic guitars slowly lose their dominance in favour of a distorted riff, accompanied by humming choirs with the acoustic guitars still playing in the background. Then keyboards take the lead and Blutaar opens his throat of damnation. A strong intro which summarizes the two strengths of Drautran: variety and balance.

These two strengths are what will hopefully place them just a tad above the excessive heaps of average Black Metal releases that spread like the plague nowadays. With their cocktail of aggressive screams, chants and acoustic interludes they sound fresh amongst this plague. And with their song writing skills they sound overwhelming at one moment and allow the listener to grasp some fresh air the next.

Where the first half of the album is a bit more fast-paced and utilizes more keyboards to create more atmosphere, the second half (after the interlude) drops the tempo a bit and the atmosphere relies more on the guitar driven solos. As is more often the case in these genres, Throne Of The Depths has no obvious stand-out tracks, since it is the overall experience that matters.

For those who are seeking for a new band with a fresh sound, and don't care if it has been done a thousand times already, this is the band you are looking for! One interesting fact that I can share with you: one of the riffs in 'Hehre Runen In Dämmer Und Eis' is similar to a melody in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.