Epic doom is a genre that lives and dies on commitment. Half-measures don’t work, if you’re writing nine-track albums with titles like “Reign of Steel” and “Triumphant Emperor”, you have to mean every note, or the whole thing collapses into parody. Thronehammer mean every note. Kingslayer is the UK band’s most accomplished record, and it earns its grandeur through sheer sustained belief in what it’s doing.
Kat’s vocals are the album’s defining element. She sings in the tradition of Candlemass and early Paradise Lost, operatic without being theatrical, commanding without being overwrought, and the material on Kingslayer gives her more range than the band’s previous records. “Reign of Steel” establishes her register in the opening minutes, and by the time “Sacrosanct Grounds” arrives (featuring guest vocals from Daniel Kaufman, formerly of Dystopia and Mindrot), the listener understands exactly what kind of album this is going to be. Kaufman’s appearance on that track is the album’s darkest corner, his voice adds a rawness that the rest of the record’s polished doom doesn’t have, and the contrast is deliberate and effective.
“Echoes of Forgotten Battles” and “Shieldbreaker” form the album’s strongest consecutive run, two tracks that demonstrate the band’s ability to vary tempo and texture without losing momentum. “Halcyon Days of Yore” is the album’s most reflective moment, and “Ascension” closes on a note that feels genuinely earned.
Mastered by Patrick Engel at Temple of Disharmony (Candlemass, Asphyx, Darkthrone), the record sounds exactly right for the genre, thick, heavy, warm in the guitars and clear in the vocals. The production is polished without being clinical, which is the crucial distinction for this kind of music. The guitar tones have the density that traditional doom requires, and the mix keeps Kat’s vocals present through even the heaviest passages.
Standout tracks: Sacrosanct Grounds, Reign of Steel, Shieldbreaker
If you have any patience for epic doom, Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus, Warning, Kingslayer belongs in the conversation.
