Founded in 1993, Thornium produced just one demo before being snapped up by Necromantic Gallery Productions. The partnership led to the band hitting the studio one cold November in 1994 on a tiny budget but with high ambition, and the result was the band’s frost-covered debut album ‘Dominions of the eclipse’ which was released on CD in 1995. Thornium, by rights, should then have gone on to carve a respectable path through the black metal scene, but central figure Thyph was incarcerated and the band shelved between 1997-2007 and it was not until 2008 that Thyph was able to reunite the band and sign a deal with renowned Dutch label Soulseller records. With new material on the way, it seems that the future may well see Thornium finally develop their potential, but this release takes us back to the years of 1993 and 1995 to expose the dark roots of the band. Included on this lavish digi-pack is the aforementioned demo from 1993 – ‘North storms of the bestial goatsign’; the complete ‘dominions of the eclipse album’ as well as two bonus songs (one of which was actually written in 1995 but never recorded). For those unfamiliar with the band it is a trip worth taking.
Fans of the black metal genre will already know what to expect from ‘Dominions…’, a swirling, remorselessly cold album it sounds far better than an album recorded on a miniscule budget has any right to, by black metal standards at any rate. Guitars are tinny, but remarkably clear whilst Thyph’s voice is a blackened rasp smeared across the surface rather than buried in the mix. Nonetheless what surprises is not so much the comparative clarity but the scale of the band’s ambitions even at such an early stage in their career. True, ‘the desert land of blackness’ is very much traditional black metal, but ‘emperor of the Carpathians’ throws in a delicate synth part and a stately, almost doomy feel that shows a band unafraid to absorb multiple influences whilst staying true to the roots of the genre they adhere to. Listen through and you’ll find time changes, acoustic passages and sonic ice-storms of flailing guitar, often all within the course of one song, creating an eclectic and gloriously dark sound that is all the more remarkable because this is a debut. ‘De som pesten drapte’ sees an acoustic intro give way to a furious hail storm of guitar and hyper-speed percussion before the whole thing settles down into a mid-paced black metal ride through obtuse instrumentation and Thyph’s own heart of darkness.
The title track simply roars out of the speakers, eschewing the subtlety of the previous two tracks for a soul-draining rampage through frozen territories covered in a thick rime of frost and dirt, although even here not all is as it seems as the band introduce melody via some tightly plotted riffs and gentle ambient synth offsetting the horror found elsewhere. ‘Det svarta riket’ is equally contradictory, the opening attack a snarling, feral attack on the senses that slowly transmutes into a mid-paced gallop that is no less powerful but which, nonetheless, showcases a bad not afraid to follow their instincts. The music flows, like some ancient journey across the wastelands, the tempo and mood changing as the landscape and surroundings demand with the only constant being the ferocious bark of Thyph, your guide through these blackened and haunting lands. With the previous track slowly fading out, the onslaught of ‘Enslaved by the witches eyes’ comes as more of a shock than perhaps it should, Thyph’s raw-throated scream announcing the song’s arrival whilst percussion and guitars recreate the apocalypse in musical form for one of the darkest, meanest tracks on the album. It’s also a highlight of the record thanks to its syrupy, doom-laden mid-section which simply drips with menacing atmosphere. ‘Helvetespsalm’ has a slithery riff that is gloriously serpentine, winding its way around the listener in a crushing, suffocating embrace that raises the pulse and induces panic and then we find our way to ‘Slottet I skuggornas morker’ another track that draws upon the past as much as the present for inspiration with its drawn out and stately riff and folk-influenced acoustic mid-section. It’s another brilliantly original and perfectly conceived track that brilliantly combines the raw aggression of black metal with the haunting melodies and nuances of folk music to startling effect. Final track ‘Formorkelsens Herravalde’ (a 2011 remake of the album original) is an eerie and evocative closing statement that is entirely synth based and which rounds out the main piece of this disc perfectly.
With the album dispensed with, extra material appears in the form of two new tracks which benefit from modern production techniques and sound utterly immense. Of the two tracks, the first ‘remain in chaos’, was actually written back in 1995. Even as a standalone song it would be terrifyingly violent, but having been lulled into a trance by the gorgeous closing track of the album, it sounds all the more horrifying. ‘Reign of terror’, meanwhile, is an entirely new effort which suggests even greater things to come, although Thyph’s voice is rather too low in the mix for my tastes.
For fans of the band who have already grown to love Thornium, a more important and exciting bonus is the inclusion of the band’s original demo – three tracks of badly recorded, yet powerful and innovative black metal that showcases exactly why Thornium were picked up by a label so quickly. Despite a limited production, it is the band’s naked ambition and youthful enthusiasm that once again shines through and you can here, even on these early sketches, the vast potential that Thornium possessed. The title track is the highlight here – a brilliantly realised, mid-paced black metal track with synth parts adding to the atmosphere and Thyph’s commanding vocals ever-present at the head of the mix.
Honestly, however, the extra material, as worthy as it is, proves unnecessary on such a disc. It is rare for a band to capture so perfect a summation of their musical prowess on a debut, but on ‘Dominions of the eclipse’ Thornium perfectly captured the sound and feel of their broad ambition, with elements of folk, black metal, neo-classical and even classic metal all flying through the mix to be absorbed, realigned and reproduced by a band who are gloriously individual. Fans of Burzum, Darkthrone and Emperor will all find much to admire here but Thornium successfully developed their sound to be greater than the sum of its parts and ‘dominions of the eclipse’ is an album you should track down if you have any interest in extreme music at all. Eerie, emotive, brave and brash it is a remarkable piece of work that is being reissued not a moment too soon.
