Wooden Throne – Under The Moon They Wander Until Fading Away

Band: Wooden Throne
Title: Under The Moon They Wander Until Fading Away
Label: Purity Through Fire
Release Date: 30 September 2021
Country: Finland
Format Reviewed: High-quality Digital Format

Here is an album for those who want to travel to astral planes, to soaring over blackened earth, and getting lost in the majesty of soaring atmospheric fullness of sound. Your ears feast on the complete notes of mixed mooded vocals and the absolute depth of layered music, that speaks to the imagination. Throwing down with raging black metal riffs and tortured vocal. Melancholy and wistfulness are heard in the tracks, and the feeling is there in that, but also uplifting, spiraling down in the enjoyment and the sense that you are far away somewhere.

I see road trips, bleak landscapes, to pops of color featured in foliage and water, and Wooden Throne the music that keeps you flying down the road, with the travel that much better.

To introduce Wooden Throne, I can only give you one name, Mikko Lehto, the man behind October Falls. This is a brand new side project of his, and in it he explores and expands on topics more encompassing the stars and space, and not so much the nature inspiration found in October Falls. Without listening to everything that October Falls has released, I would completely understand why Wooden Throne needs to make its own mark, evidencing the differentiation and thereby becoming uniquely its own.

This is a seven-track album, beginning with At the Sorrows Chamber, which begins in a wall of synthesized sound, flowing like a wave, to Mikko’s echoing roar. More of the synthesized, to some deeper hitting riffs, and then the vocal explodes gaining in more of the tortured, melancholic growls. Towards the ending of this track, that wall of synthesized fullness of sound is re-introduced. Second track is The Ravens Cross, this has a definite melancholic dejected mood. Saying that, its so beautifully expressed, and Mikko comes in again with more in his voice, more emotion. There are hills and valleys, tremolos in guitar and the synthesizer as well. Working and melding, and keeping this song strong in the darker side of expression.

Track three is Withered At Sunrise, begins in piano notes touching into a mood of sadness. Tremolos jump in and keep layering to the soaring vocal quality in this. Makes me think of an eagle soaring into space, with the atmosphere built in this. At once solace filled and angst driven too. Track four is Under The Moon They Wander Until Fading Away begins in a more uplifted tone, and black metal rapid riffs. Synthesizer, roaring vocals, and tremolos carry on through this, each displaying palpable emotion.

Track five, Into The Forest Calm, ambient, instrumental stroll through atmospheric mood setting. Track six, Return into Shadows, another excellent display of the melding of instruments and voice.

Track seven, Through the Timeless Fields, last foray of this album, into brilliant star studded planets. Synths are low keyed and emotive. This puts the journey that this music takes you on, to a glimpse of the unknown.

Wooden Throne is that escape to other worlds, a place for your mind to let go to, and drift in fields of stars. Mikko Lehto has shown more of his creativity, giving the listener epic black metal ambience. I give an 8/10 Metal Marie

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8/10 To greatness and glory!
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