It’s no secret that Finland are one of the best breeding grounds for metal bands, the latest one that hail from this glorious land are THY KINGDOM WILL BURN. They have released their self-titled debut album and it will secure a place on the list of legends from Finland.
If you need a new walk like a badass theme tune, I have found it within album opener The Awakening. From that pounding rhythm to powerful riffs, you feel epic before the album has even begun.
Alone I Stand is the first full length track from the album. The first things I notice are the stellar song writing and the finger blistering riffs. If you listen carefully amongst the chaos, you hear poignant and moving lyrics such as “as my illusions crumble I’m beginning to feel the pressure, what if I’ve wasted my life trying to reach the unreachable” and “alone I stand paralyzed by the pain I feel nothing is what it used to be some wounds are never meant to heal.” Every air guitarist will have sore fingers from practicing theses riffs.
Rise Against and War! either are or will be the live anthems that will go down best at live shows. Everything about these track shouts power from the lyrical content such as “if there’s something, still worth fighting for our world is our own, we must defend it now” in Rise Against and “the morning rise without signs of relief the past is gone but not forgotten” in War! to the fist pumping energy from the powerful riffs and brutal growls. Important note: be sure you’re not doing anything that requires concentrating as these will break you from that. Expect raising your fist in the air and headbanging unexpectedly when listening to this.
The Black River is one of those where you think you know what you’re getting but it makes a change to the tempo that I didn’t see coming. It does this twice by the way and they pull it off both times. AMORPHIS come to mind when listening to this track.
I have one word for Through The Storm and that is epic. You can feel the pain and suffering that is emulated through strong riffs and hard-hitting lyrics such as “I’m sure I’m not the only one who dreams to escape … a chance to start all over and see where it would lead” and “too many promises broken too many tears in vain what separates us from the beast what defines the insanity”.
The band stay consistent right up until the powerful album closer Season Of Sorrow. It gives you one blast of their brilliance, and it leaves you hankering for more.
I wasn’t prepared for this album, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. It is one of the best displays of melodic death metal I have come across. Judging from the album’s sound alone, it’s easy to see why THY KINGDOM WILL BURN have been hailed one of the most promising European metal underground acts. They are the band that every metalhead needs to experience.
Note: it’s best to free yourselves from any kind of distraction. This album requires your undivided attention.
Rating: 9/10
Words: Lotty Whittingham
Thy Kingdom Will Burn is out now.
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