Sons of Crom: "The Black Tower"

The strongest arm in modern heavy metal

I can tell by the quality of The Black Tower that my lacking acquaintance with the duo's album debut from 2014, Riddle of Steel, is a huge mistake that will soon have to be mended. From the name one would expect fairly traditional heavy metal, but The Black Tower is anything but bound by the shackles of tradition.

Following a sombre intro comes In Fire Reborn, a black metal torrent of face-blasting drums, animalistic roars and guitar tremolos that would make Infernus seethe with jealosy. But it isn't long before notes of something far more primordial begin to claw its way in, the guitars getting increasingly augmented by classical guitar, rippling choruses and daring melodies.

"Epic ... is the adjective which most accurately describes the sound of the Finnish duo,"

Sons of Crom sound like a mix of Bal-Sagoth, Emperor, Primordial and Bathory, but without sounding like any of those bands individually. Epic is a term often misused, but it is the adjective which most accurately describes the sound of the Finnish duo. The Black Tower perfectly combines the best from traditional heavy metal and black metal in a concoction of molten steel.

Most of their compositions are slow-burners, taking a while to really get going. But when they get a hold of you, they'll keep you in an iron grip until it is as though Crom himself speaks to you. Their tone and sound is never overdone, the fantasy-elements remaining tasteful. So far, The Black Tower is one of the most compelling and forceful outings of 2017, with Sons of Crom adding their own well-deserved notch to the pole of modern heavy metal which also includes bands like Eternal Champion and Visigoth.

9/10

Released in 2017 by Nordvis Produktion

Links

Sons of Crom on FACEBOOK
Sons of Crom on BANDCAMP
Sons of Crom OFFICIAL SITE
Nordvis Produktion OFFICIAL SITE

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