No one needs introduction to Norway’s BLOOD RED THRONE. The almost Death Metal royalty have released their latest on Soulseller Records titled “Nonagon”. The album starts off with your typical Death Metal values and that’s a decent thing but honestly doesn’t go anywhere beyond. The better way to express this in my opinion is that their entire songwriting process is rather boxed, it never stretches beyond, there are some obvious Black Metal influences (track # 2 – ‘Ode To The Obscene’) where the guitars momentarily take us to the classic Black Metal riffing which I absolutely love. The vocals are killer, the riffs suffocate you and the drumming is on point but this seems rather like a slab yet to be put in the hands of a master sculptor. Yes, it is heavy and will probably knock your face off if you played this in a car on a good summer day or if you’re on the highway. All the riffs sound like they’ve already been done and could use a kick in the rear. I could actually say that about their entire songwriting process but I guess that’s probably unfair knowing their rich history. I honestly think some bands put out some releases for their annual tour and know what, you don’t have to do that. This is something I said about SUFFOCATION as well, you don’t need an album that adds nothing to the existing atmosphere of Death Metal, just tour and the fans will be happy. Anyway, coming back to BLOOD RED THRONE, I have one complaint about the album and I’ve expressed that otherwise, this is quite a solid album from start to finish. If you like your Death Metal with a touch of Black Metal riffing and with excellent execution, then “Nonagon” is your release. It checks off all the boxes on the checklist and you won’t be disappointed. I guess, I’m just getting old now and value my time a little higher than usual. For more information, please visit: www.facebook.com/bloodredthroneofficial, www.facebook.com/soulsellerrecords