Review: Ignominious “The Throne and the Altar”

Ignominious “The Throne and the Altar”
Hidden Marly Production

Hungary isn’t big country and it never had some extremely huge scene. But since times of OSSIAN and TORMENTOR there were band worth of attention and deeper interest. Well, some members of IGNOMINIOUS are from Slovakia, but they’re Hungarians surely. How I know this?!? Otherwise there’d be used Slovak name of their home-city and not Hungarian – Gúta.

The band was created in 2007 in Kiskõrös.  This rather little town (something like 14.500 residents) is quite old one – the first written documents date back to 1277.  But I think the biggest feather in its cap is the fact that Hungarian national poet and author of national song of this country Sándor Petõfi was born here. About 2-3 km north of the town lies the nature reserve area Szücsi Forest as part of the Kiskunság National Park what, I guess, has something to do with inspirations of our Hungarian brothers – even if there’s no word about this anywhere (at least I didn’t find it). Musically this is surely pure, but not unpolluted Black Metal. Musicians write explicitly that other sub-genres of Metal influence them. And yes, I can hear Heavy or Thrash elements here with ease. In my opinion it makes music much more interesting, by the way. Riffs aren’t as changeless as it happens quite often in the case of just Black Metal. Frankly, Haermoth and Natharial play quite variable. I’ll agree that there’s no so called wow-effect in that, but in the same time it’s absolutely not boring or something like that! Guys create some melody from time to time, too.

Alastor beats mostly in middle tempo with some speed-ups in Black Metal style. The3 same as riffs it’s maybe nothing special in that from technical point of view. But there’re some passages, changes of tempo, cymbals are threaten as integral part of instrument and using almost whole the time. Bass is also very well-hearable sometimes and its part is quite interesting. Person who’s responsible for them, Mephyriz, is in the same time also vocalist here. He sings in vein of 90’s Black Metal. This is screechy and little dirty (in positive meaning of this word). Anyways, he doesn’t do it in totally unvarying, monotonous way! You have, of course, to listen carefully to hear these subtle differences, but…

Generally ‘The Throne and the Altar’ is good stuff. It’ll probably don’t be in ‘top 20’ of this year, but it’s not bad. Well, to be honest I don’t care about such stupid competitions. But it seems that some people do. OK, hell with that!!! I recommend this stuff to fans of mentioned above sub-genre of Metal, first of all. Rest will also find here something interesting, but there’s one condition: you must like the thought that Black dominates here.

https://www.facebook.com/ignominiousmetal/