Enthroned has had a lot of turmoil in the last couple of years. Longtime vocalist Sabathan exited the band, replaced by guitarist Nornagest. They also have a new bassist, Phorgath, and former drummer Alsvid returns to the fold as well.
The Belgian band's latest opus is Tetra Karcist, a dose of hateful traditional black metal. Enthroned varies the usual BM guitars and blast beats with some guitar parts that are rock based. It adds a little spice to the mix, as do the choral interludes. The songs are ominous and dark, but some light and melody also peeks through once in a while.
Nornagest's vocals are surprisingly good. He has the black metal rasps down pat, and varies his pitch and delivery. There are also some death metal style growls that are lower pitched and also help the album's diversity. Enthroned are a really solid band, and they add enough variation to the traditional black metal style to make things interesting.
