Kev Rowland Back with their tenth studio album in 20 years are Norwegian death metal act Blood Red Throne. I do wonder how this material will come across at gigs as it has been a while since I heard a DM album quite this polished and produced, which has turned out to be both a strength and a weakness. That the songs are cleverly arranged and played is never in doubt, and the separation between all the instruments is wonderful, but to my ears it has actually taken away some of the power as it has changed the music into something quite different. I admit, being able to hear some of the finesse within the bass shows just how much musicianship is within the band, but overall, this feel just too clean, too nice.

I cannot for one minute imagine this is how the band will sound when they play this material at a concert where they are going to be far more brutal, way more in your face, but here it seems somewhat sanitised, even when played at loud volumes. I wonder if it has come together due to the way it was recorded, as each member recorded on their own due to Covid restrictions at the time, so this is a series of separate pieces brought together as opposed to a more organic approach. It is a nice release, but to my ears it is not what I expect from a DM outfit.