Thronum Vrondor – Drowning In The Distorted Light

Written by on 22-06-2025 at 20:30.

Belgian black metal band Thronum Vrondor, still housed at Immortal Frost productions, has already enjoyed being the subject of some reviews on our beloved website. Allow me to refer briefly to the review of the previous album, Dies Tenebrosa Sicut Nox . The album before, Ichor (The Rebellion), is definitely also worth mentioning. Four years have passed since the previous album and now the three or five gentlemen (how many is not entirely clear to me) have come up with Drowning In The Distorted Light. The core of the band will of course have remained the same and been supplemented with like-minded henchmen, something we often see in black metal land and far beyond.

This latest diabolical work offers just over thirty minutes of playing time. I always find it interesting to find out more about the production, but it is not clear who recorded this album, or where. In any case, it is announced that the album has more diversity in the musical and vocal area, something we can, of course, applaud.

A Solemn Vigil is a somewhat tame opener in my humble opinion, but it does immediately put the new trump cards mentioned above on the table. More direct and therefore more straightforward is the more brutal title track. There is some serious hammering and battering. Venomous guitar parts leave no stone unturned from any sacred house, while the vocals strip everything down until there is nothing left. Gruwelijke Leegte, a track that bites nicely in the native language, even gets a visit from a banjo if I am hearing this correctly, listening carefully. Of course, this is not new. If I am correct, our friend Hoest (Taake) also dusted off this instrument sometime in the past. However, this instrument does give the track that extra cachet and makes it smell even more of sulphur.

More complex, dissonant riffing can be heard in Cursed Salvation. Meanwhile All Spears Point Towards the Hunter’s Moon seeks its target more directly and more purposefully. The growling vocals do the trick here, I think. Just like it does in the second song that features Dutch lyrics, Zalvende Haat. I definitely get the impression that using the Dutch language further could perhaps raise the level even a bit more. Will the gentlemen choose to do this again in the future? On To Burn The Absolute, Mr. S. (Ars Veneficium) joins in, something that really benefits the filth in this song. German? The gentlemen can pull this off too, the particularly sour Skulptur Aus Fleisch closing album number five.

Of course this Drowning In Distored Light by Thronum Vrondor is a strong and rightful successor to the earlier work. Mind you, the black metal of these gentlemen is not for the faint of heart. Not entirely unexpectedly, the music on this latest album is very brutal and aggressive, but with more of an eye and ear for more variety and detail.

Score:

80/100

Label:

Immortal Frost Productions, 2025

Tracklisting:

  1. A Solemn Vigil
  2. Drowning In The Distorted Light
  3. Gruwelijke Leegte
  4. Cursed Salvation
  5. All Spears Point Towards The Hunter’s Moon
  6. Zalvende Haat
  7. To Burn The Absolute
  8. Skulptur Aus Fleisch

Line-up:

  • Crygh – Drums
  • Vrondor – Guitar, bass guitar
  • SvN – Vocals

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