Premiere: Empyrean Throne – “The Devouring Mark”
Symphonic death metal and I had a falling out some years ago. It lured me in with the whirlwind of sound that is Fleshgod Apocalypse, but when I started to look beyond that, so many other acts seemed hollow. It seemed that bands either couldn’t strike a good balance of orchestra and band, and even if they did, the music was often bland and uninspiring. Every now and then, something shows up that rekindles that initial spark and makes me want to jump back in again.
Empyrean Throne is just such a band, and I’m excited to bring you “The Devouring Mark” from their new LP, Chaosborne. It’s both enticing and vicious, weaving symphonics between blackened vocals and melodies on a foundation of beefy death metal riffs. The band tells the album’s story of a young Templar unshackling himself from his order through their music as well as they do through the lyrics, and “The Devouring Mark” plays the role of turning point very well. It also has a surprisingly hopeful message beneath its savage veneer, as vocalist Andrew Knudson points out:
“The Devouring Mark is one of my favorite songs within Chaosborne. It’s central theme is self empowerment and the awakening of one’s Inner Flame. It is the great turning point for our album’s main character, the forsaken Templar Mathias. It is the point at which he accepts his Shadow Self and taps into the undercurrent of Chaotic energies that dwell within his being. The song takes the listener through our protagonist’s transformation, into the person he destined to become. No longer a slave to his former Templar Order, Mathias is able to open himself to a new realm of possibilities and limitless power. People underestimate their own competence on a regular basis; they often create false barriers or set limits on what can be achieved or accomplished. The Devouring Mark servers as a reminder that you are capable of summoning your Inner Fire and using it’s strength to soldier through whatever grimy piss filled trenches lay before you.”
Chaosborne is out August 11th, available for preorder through M-Theory Audio. If you like what you heard, you can find the band on Facebook and Bandcamp.
