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Yes! Finally it´s out, I was eagerly waiting for this album, and at the same time also a bit afraid, whether Path of Golconda would be able to top their last album.
True to the motto "Never change a winning team", they once again recorded this somehow unique Black/Death/Thrash Metal mixture, with a bit more aggressivness than on the last record.
Well not all ten songs are "in your face" ones, two of them are calmer instrumentals/ballads (Sunset And The Falling Leaves and Those Pale Grey Shrouds). I have to admit, that those instrumentals are a good idea, believe me, you´ll need a chance to take a little breath during the songs. Once again they decided to work together with Andy Classen , who did a great job in making this powerful and clear sound, we already know from the last album.
Right from the beginning no compromises are made and the first song Metropolis Rotting starts blazing it´s trail inexorably into the auditory canals. After the second song it´s time for a little breather in form of a short piano instrumental (Sunset And The Falling Leaves).
But in the following tunes they go back to this explosive, groovy mixture of Black, Death and Thrash Metal, combining thoroughgoing harshness with melodies and complexity.
Driving uptempo songs meet more dragging songs and ballads on one album, where vocalist Manuel is able to show how variable his voice is. Let it be screaming, growling or jangling, the vocals are mind-blowing.
If you want more Thrash Metal , you should check out Another Hell Unearthed, which is probably the "thrashiest" song of the album. With Between God And Gutter prefaced by the atmospheric Those Pale Grey Shrouds they chose a good bouncer , as this song sums the whole album up in a way. Once again you´ve got slower, groovy parts, meeting driving and straight forward passages. It sometimes reminds me a bit of Amon Amarth, but just at the moment, where you really think "This sounds like Amon Amarth", the song changes. If I had to compare it to a song from the former album I´d say, what A Cannibal Crusade was for Destination:Downfall, is Between God And Gutter for The Threshold Diaries.Those aforementioned changes are one thing, that makes the album interesting. There are parts, that might remind you of other bands, but as soon as you think, you know the part, it changes and sounds different. Crazy, but it works.
Granted this album is surely not a slight fare, quite long and complex songs (between 3 and 8 minutes) combined with this heavyness. It´s more complex than the former one, harder to get into - in a way. But if you like this kind of music and you´re willing to take some effort in listening to it a few times you´ll have a lot of fun with The Threshold Diaries.
This is already their 4th full-length album and now The Threshold Diaries should really help them leveraging and getting more attention apart from the attention they already got in the Underground scene. To sum it all up, it was a near thing, but they managed to top their former album!
| Tracklist |
| 1. Metropolis Rotting |
| 2. Serpent Gate |
| 3. Sunset And The Falling Leaves |
| 4. Catafalque |
| 5. Promises In Stone And Fire |
| 6. Another Hell Unearthed |
| 7. Foul Winds Through Utopia |
| 8. Stabbing Love Into Her |
| 9. Those Pale, Grey Shrouds |
| 10. Between God And Gutter |
: 45.57
| Buy other Path Of Golconda albums |
