Enthroned recently celebrated their 30th anniversary. Dissonance / Cherry Red have collated the bands early recordings into one 5CD set.

Release Date: Available Now

Label: Dissonance Records / Cherry Red Records

Format: 5CD

Originally founded in 1993, Enthroned are considered one of the leading lights of the Belgian black metal scene alongside Ancient Rites. Tragedy befell the band in 1997 when drummer Cernunnos committed suicide.

During their prolific early years, the band toured multiple times across Europe with the likes of Marduk, Dark Funeral, and Usurper. This box set is bolstered with the addition of live and demo bonus tracks taken the ‘Commanders Of Chaos’ release, and features a new extensive in depth interview with band main man and lead guitarist Nornagest (cousin of Venom bassist and vocalist Cronos). Cronos himself contributes backing vocals for two tracks on Towards The Skullthrone Of Satan.

The cover artwork was commissioned exclusively for this release and handled by Nornagest himself. Additional unreleased archive photos supplied by Nornagest appear in the booklet.

PROPHECIES OF PAGAN FIRE

Prophecies Of Pagan Fire was Enthroned’s debut full length studio album. For context, in 1995, black metal had undergone several waves of being. Bathory, Celtic Frost and Venom laid the groundwork in the early 80’s and then infamy rose with Mayhem, Emperor and the Norwegian scene of the late 80’s/early 90’s. To form a band of this style, it is hard not to cite them as reference points.

Enthroned deliver their own brand of violent and scathing black metal, built upon the bedrock of their influences. After the introduction, Deny The Holy Book Of Lies sets out their stall. It is truly devastating. The screams and snarls claw at your skin and the riffs cut like razors. Under The Holocaust has some fiendishly heavy guitar work with a few changes in tempo dotted in. In a word, the whole of the album is uncompromising, and those with a desire for black metal in its truest form will not be disappointed.

At The Dawn Of The Funeral Winter is one of the album’s standout tracks. Spanning over seven minutes, there is the harsh vocals of Sabathan at the front of everything, but the deathly sounding organ that underpins some of the music is haunting.

TOWARDS THE SKULLTHRONE OF SATAN

With such a brilliant debut album under their belts, the outlook looked good for Enthroned. Sadly, in the build up to their 1997 follow up, band founder and drummer Cernnunos hung himself. He was 25 years old. Enthroned felt that they had to honour their fallen brother and pressed on with the release of the album. They recorded the album with a session drummer although early sketches of the direction of the album included Cernnunos.

Arriving in 1997, Towards The Skullthrone Of Satan keeps up the impetus and momentum that the band had a few years earlier. After a particularly disturbing introduction, the band blast into action. The Ultimate Horde Fights breaks down into a slower tempo in its middle section, but either side of it, the drumming is furious and the addition of a second guitarist makes for a more dense sound.

Evil Church has a more melodic opening before the frenzy returns. Vocally, Sabathan sounds evil, and the band help ride the waves to hell. Hertogenwald is one of the most interesting tracks here. The earthy opening contains choral vocals, an enchanting melody and an aura of darkness. As ever, the traditionally trodden Enthroned path is returned to.

Included in this box set are a set of live tracks recorded in 1998, one of which is a cover of Sodom’s The Conqueror. The live tracks give a flavour of the ferocity that Enthroned deliver.

REGIE SATHANAS

Regie Sathanas was originally released in 1998. It is an EP, and was released as a tribute to Cernunnos. It is hear where long time Enthroned fans might be most interested as it features a previously unreleased track recorded by Cernunnos and unknown until now. The track is called Words In Tongues and is an instrumental piece. A lamenting guitar line moves through the song with lighter guitar motifs flying off the main line. There are quiet choral synth/vocals with various other droning flourishes building the musical tapestry. What is also good about the song is that it is placed within the main running order. It is not just tacked on at the end as a bonus track.

Elsewhere on Regie Satahanas, the brilliant Walpurgis Night sits as the centrepiece. A suitably X-rated opening helps build the mood. Musically, it takes a while to hit the usual Enthroned frenzy. Even then, it is a tad slower and the main riff has a more distinct rock and roll feel. Satan Never Sleeps is another standout. There is much more diversity in the formula as the band play with different tempos and drum patterns.

The EP is presented in this collection with newly commissioned art work. It is a complete change from the original artwork that came with the EP. It also padded out with a raft of demos; of which, Scared By Darkwinds is a highlight. Not for the first time, it showcases Enthroned’s use of guitar solos in their work.

THE APOCALYPSE MANIFESTO

1999 saw the release of The Apocalypse Manifesto. Like the title suggests, the outlook is bleak. Enthroned deliver and album that is full of hell fire and brimstone. The drumming is absolutely incredible and the way that the guitars put you through the mangler is aggressive and violent. Death Faceless Chaos showcases this superbly. It is completely unrelenting in delivery.

Retribution Of The Holy Trinity contains some brilliant solo work atop a trudging and grinding wall of riffs. During its lengthier duration, there are various different tempo changes and plenty of twists and turns. Elsewhere, the dire subject matter thrives on Postmortem Penetrations and the grandiosely titled Genocide (Concerto Nº 35 For Razors).

The Apocalypse Manifesto, according to the liner notes contained herein, was supposed to be the bands magnum opus. It is certainly grand, but the band state that they were still grieving or trying to grieve the death of Cernunnos. As a form of catharsis, this album is one that can do the screaming for you. It is devastatingly heavy and paved the way for one of Enthroned’s greatest albums.

ARMOURED BESTIAL HELL

Released at the start of the new millennium, Armoured Bestial Hell saw the band being touted as leaders of the Belgian metal scene. By their own admission, the band were getting asked for autographs at shows, and their albums and riffs were beatified by so many.

Although the tag might not have set too well, the band really make the step up. The hellish opening of Humanicide 666 moves into the blistering Wrapped In Fire. Again, the tempos are frantic and the soloing gives a different dimension to the standard black metal affair.

With an almighty scream, the title track opens up. It scrapes the doldrums of hell and continues to set the dastardly scene. In true Enthroned fashion, the band lay down an epic in the middle of the record. When Hell Freezes Over is an epic piece that includes spoken word passages recounting tales of blasphemy. There is a little bit of a Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden) feel in some of the chiming guitars at the start. In the harmonic introduction, it is hard not to think a little of Metallica’s One (or For Whom The Bell Tolls). When the vocals reach the ‘In hell…’ section, this genuinely sends an unholy shiver down the spine. From front to back, it is a brilliant piece.

Armoured Bestial Hell is certainly a great start point for Enthroned. In truth, this whole box set is. It may have been around in different iterations before, but with the alternate artwork and fascinating liner notes, this set is a must for any fan of black metal wanting to dip further into the Belgian’s storied past.

Listen to When Hell Freezes Over below. The image is the original cover art.

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