Artist: Throne Of Charlemagne
Country: USA
Label: Diabolic Vitriol
Formats: Demo Tape
Year: 2024
Charlemagne’s name obviously resonates through history as one of the most powerful rulers of ancient Europe, the grand emperor of the post-Roman Empire-era. When choosing a name like Throne Of Charlemagne, you are actually have some expectations to fill. But, frankly, this project by one of the most prolific American Black Metal musicians is getting impressively close with ‘The Great Victory’.
Just like the colossal and triumphant victories of Charlemagne united Europe centuries ago, ‘The Great Victory’ blends blazing Black Metal with loads of catchy melodies into something that really feels like an appropriate soundtrack to great battles. The piercing pace goes just brilliantly with the memorable riffs and the icy screeching vocals. To top things off in style, the sharp production is something that really adds lots to the venomous and hateful spirit of the music. Together this all cumulates into a mesmerizing and furious, yet harmonic sounding demo that is an equally impressive step-up from the band’s debut demo, released a year prior.
It might not be exactly revolutionary, but ‘The Great Victory’ is a genuinely impressive piece of 90’s inspired Black Metal that is poured in a more contemporary mould. While the razor-like production slits every Charlemagne opponent’s throat, it also strongly preserves the genre’s raw and merciless values and aesthetics of yesteryear.
So it should come as little surprise that this demo, first made available as a digital stream by the band, recently appeared as a cassette tape. Lovers of fast-paced, well-written and thought-out Black Metal brimming with stirring melodies are in for a treat.
