Review: “Throne of Desolation” by Progeny of Sun

From humble beginnings Finnish Blackened Death Metal band Progeny of Sun have risen like a Phoenix from the ashes since being conceived in 2017 as a two man project. Multi instrumentalist (now guitarist) Jaakko Hautamäki and vocalist Niko Aromaa released their debut self titled EP in 2019, the burning desire to perform their cryptic writings live driving them to become a fully fleshed out band in over the next few years. Joined by second guitarist Joni Kiviniemi, bassist Tuomo Tolkki and drummer Juha Peura (ex-Caru) they released EP “Dark Wanderer” in 2021 having entered an experimental phase in which everyone contributed to the writing. 2022 then saw two singles emerge in “Worthless” and “Anguish” before the band settled down to create their debut album, setting the tone and establishing a darker sound…

Evidence of evolution in the Progeny of Sun sound is as plain to see as the Moon cast against a dark night sky throughout “Throne Of Desolation“, the five piece having redefined and then refined their sonic creations in the fires of Valhalla. The desire for ascension is obvious from the moment the restless and relentless blasting from Peura brings “Forged by the Devil” to life, the sinister atmospheric pushing the boundaries of what came before it. Aromaa combines a trio of vocal tones in this one, the shriller ear splitting screams of “This is my hell!” balanced off by a deep death growl and a harsh whisper, his range astounding during the savage beating of the dark rhythms. That river of blood flows into “Damsel” which has a brutal first half which threatens to race away with a scorching solo and demonic growls before an icy orchestrated piano part that ignites something unexpectedly majestic. A gothic toned clean vocal rises from the abyss for a verse before Aromaa bursts in to flames once more, the demon within exposed by the vicious screams. The vocals are nothing short of inspired and that range gives the band another sonic dimension as they push into Extreme Metal territories with “Heartless Dome“. Menacing and sinister with vocal layering used to given the impression of a twin headed beast, this solid slab of Death Metal slithers its way across the barren wasteland crying out for a fretboard smouldering solo which doesn’t materialise. Instead the band play with rhythmic shades, letting the vocals do the *ahem* talking. Melancholic dance macabre passages give “Caldera” a different energy between staccato riff laden verses that make for a twist of the knife in this psychological horror story…

Front loaded with heavier grooves and scream-a-long ability, the heavier “False Radiance” is a mid tempo chugger that threatens to spill into Deathcore but doesn’t have the all important breakdown before “Dweller” showcases that softer side once more. It does so with a melodic passage of delicate guitars against a backdrop of falling rain in the final third before a powerful final verse that will leave you wanting more. Ironically that is exactly what you get with “Coward” having a melodic bridge into the heavier final verse, however this one does have some interesting freer moments in the opening exchanges. Turning up the intensity, the mid tempo chugger that is “Invasion” has some icy keys and a little bit more nuance to it, the false ending perfectly executed to allow for some Melodic Death Metal guitars. The problem is that as solid as these cuts are, in the context of an album sometimes less is more. Trimming the fat and removing a couple of the ones which are fairly similar with no real point of difference, vocals aside, would have a transformative effect and make for a leaner, meaner album.

The gothic tinges resurface with “Courier” which has warm synths and fleeting clean vocal moments interspliced with the demonic screams and pig squeals which on paper might seem like an extreme too far but actually works pretty well. The orchestrated piano rounds this one off nicely with a palate cleansing moment ahead of the bone snapping “Restoration“. Blackened to the core and soaked in blast beats, this one has all the blood and thunder you could ever want while moving the melodic break closer to the centre to allow for a turbulently violent galloping second half. Indulging in orchestral embellishments once more “Human Disposal Site” has more of an epic feel to it as if cut from a movie sound track, the clean vocal parts elevating it to another realm of existence. In isolation it sounds great but it screams out to be brought forward in the running order, losing some of its momentum due to the middle of the album lacking a couple of moments that really stand out. An extended cut which has not one but two melodic breaks “War of the Ages” offers something a little more progressive with more intricacy, finishing with some almost tribal drum patterns and lead guitars that offer a way forward… [7/10]

Track Listing

1. Forged by the Devil
2. Damsel
3. Heartless Dome
4. Caldera
5. False Radiance
6. Dweller
7. Coward
8. Invasion
9. Courier
10. Restoration
11. Human Disposal Site
12. War of the Ages

“Throne of Desolation” by Progeny of Sun is out 8th December 2023 via Inverse Records and is available over at bandcamp