Album Review: Totenwache – Der Thron der Uralten

Band: Totenwache
Album: Der Thron der Uralten
Label: Independent
Release date: March 15th, 2026
Country: Germany
Format reviewed: High-Quality digital recording

#AlbumReview: Totenwache – Der Thron der Uralten by Ioana

Here comes yet another album which I could barely contain my excitement for. Having been anticipating the release of Totenwache’s sophomore full-length, Der Thron der Uralten ever since the band first brought up the making of a new record, I was certainly surprised when, upon its release, my first instinct was… to avoid listening to it for over a week. Whatever was that motivated me in this ridiculous display of musical avoidance is more or less irrelevant (I mean, when you’ve been waiting for an album for a while you end up fearing that your hopes will be left in the dust upon the first listen, which all experienced lovers of music know ain’t fun in the slightest). All that being said, when I actually managed to get some sense into my own head, I was happy to discover that the album had met all my expectations masterfully. Nothing surprising there, as there was nothing bad that could come after its predecessor, Der Schwarze Hort, but I am definitely getting ahead of myself over here.

Now, before I get into the music itself, it is worth bringing up that Totenwache is a band that has always had top notch visuals. Even a brief look at their logo shows that: intricate gothic lettering, paired together with the walls, towers and gates of a medieval fortress? I’m in. The album artwork of Der Thron der Uraltenis no exception. It depicts the interior of a medieval throne room turned dungeon as far as I can tell, rendered in careful detail. The color pallete is comprised out of rich purple shades with gold accents, which gives the album a strangely regal vibe, very different from the grimier, damper mood of Der Schwarze Hort. Truth being told, in the age of AI, it’s genuinely refreshing to see artworks with this much effort being put into them (Damn, I could stare at this thing for hours…).

The album spans about an hour and 12 minutes, which makes it quite a lengthy release, but it doesn’t come off as tiring or dragged out at any point. I found it to have a great flow inbetween the tracks, and the mesmerizing riff work is more or less certain to make you feel as if barely any time has any passed from the start until the end of the album. It is also one of those albums that I urge you to listen to on a pair of headphones, or, even better, on physical media (one can always dream of CDs…). That is simply because a phone speaker will strip away all the richness and fullness characteristic of this album, leaving you with a… musical skeleton, so to say. But given that I have already brought up the riffs, it would be wise to continue from there and actually explain what makes them work so well to begin with. One important factor is that they are multilayered, which creates that wall-of-sound sensation. When paired with the diverse, interconnected musical ideas present on all the tracks, the resulting effect is a piece of music that feels both fluid and all-encompassing, a trait of a lot of great black metal. Totenwache have always been great at creating immersive soundscapes, but I would argue that Der Thron der Uraltentakes it a step further, mainly as the result of the atmosphere shift, which is, of course, not present only in the album cover. This album is certainly old-school in spirit and has that specific raw edge, but at the same time all the musical elements are clearly audible and there is a noticeable depth to the sound, a far cry from the standard blade-on-iron scratchiness of raw black metal. I think the best description of it, which can then be extended to the guitar work too, is that it is… austerily-grand, perhaps. Two great examples of this are, of course, the title track, as well as the debut single of the album, “Stahl & Schwefel”.

This brings me to the next element which I want to dive into, which are, of course, the vocals. Typically, when listening not only to black metal, but music in general, I tend to look for powerful, expressive, even unhinged voices. In this case, Totenwache is a bit of an oddball for me, because Animatrum’s vocal performance is on the more simple, stripped down side, involving mainly sustained screeches and rasps that sit somewhere inbetween the high and middle register. On top of that, the vocals aren’t all that pronounced in the mix. So, why do I enjoy them so much, then? Well, first off, they are still undoubtedly expressive in matters of delivery and phrasing, and second of all, the restraint actually works really great in this particular musical context. The vocals, drums, guitars and bass all feel of equal power in the music, and this is why this album works, essentially. Everything is in balance, which allows the atmosphere to develop beautifully.

Last but not least, it wouldn’t be fair for me not to speak of the drumming at all. Just as in the case of the vocals is is stripped down, comprised mainly out of blast beats and mid tempo beats, but for some reasons, the way these are alternated throughout the tracks and used to emphasize certain aspects of either the vocals or guitars is nothing short of masterful, and a testament to the band’s permanently evolving songwriting skills. That being said, there is still a clear technical side to the drumming, it is by no means sloppy, far from it, quite the opposite. What can I say, you’re in for a tight, straight to the point performance.

There’s a big part of me that feels as if I haven’t given this album enough proper listens yet for me to make a truly accurate assessment of it, but, after all, music is meant to be felt, before anything, and Der Thron der Uraltenis the kind of album that is best experienced that way. And I have no doubt that it will grow even more on me as time passes, and I am looking forward to it. 9.5/10

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