### Tragediens Trone: The cold depths of solitude

#### 21/01/09 || Kampfar

Tragediens Trone translates to Throne Of Tragedy, which means all happy fucks can piss off and get on with their cheerful lives already. I hate shiny happy and conform fuck-faces, but you already knew that, so an elaboration on the subject isn’t needed at all. When it comes to this band, however, one is very much needed. Make that insanely, for this quality almost-one-man-band goes unheard of all while countless lesser acts receive all kinds of praise. Take Xasthur, for instance.

But before I jizz compliments and a couple of complaints over “The cold depths of solitude”, let me present to you the guy responsible for all but (the programmed) drums and a tiny proportion of the vocals. His name is not Skard, nor Aatselgribb, but that is anyway what he chose to name himself when performing in TT and Slagmaur respectively. Check out the latter if you are up for some truly original and weird black metal. If, however, you feel for a more straight forward approach of bl(e)ackness, though not entirely so, then what I’m reviewing here should be more up your alley. It’s so-called depressive black we are dealing with but the depression at hand isn’t asking for sympathy, nor does it inflict an urge to finish off the cunt in pain. In other words, “The cold depths of solitude” is bleak but not whiny. Sure, kinda emo at times, but this is the kind of emo that packs a knife intended for the use on other primates primarily. And kittens.

Time to make perfect sense and inform you that “The cold depths of solitude” is a focused and solid piece of black metal, and one that sounds really rather good. Sure thing, we are dealing with a fairly simple form of music here, simple as in not being layered as an onion, but history, and Darkthrone, has taught us that even the most basic music can be made a hash of. But not here, thankfully.

I just claimed this to be a focused album, and it is, just not a 100% so. See, here is exactly one too many of them more or less atmospheric tracks and the superfluous one in question goes under the name “The shores of a withering dream pt. 1”. The one preceding it, namely “Through the fields to the end”, is a likewise natured fucker, only a lot less boring at it. Put short, the dream song sort of ruins the pace on this here album, almost grinding it to a halt. The vocals, on the other hands, ruins exactly nothing. The main variant is a quality sneer, the other offering more like talking, both variants in close to perfect harmony with their surroundings.

So, obviously not an album for a sunny day this, at least not the proverbial one, and so I only recommend it to fans of depression.

PS! Not very important this, but Tragediens Trone is most likely named after a song going by the same name courtesy of Ulver. Oh, fuck you.

7,5 out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2007
- Label: Nekk Brekk Records
- Website: Tragediens Trone MySpace
- Band
- Skard: vocals, guitar, bass
- Gribbspiisher: additional vocals
- Sindre: (programmed) drums

- Tracklist
- 01. A shattered reflection
- 02. The cold depths of solitude
- 03. Through the fields to the end
- 04. The shores of a withering dream pt. 1
- 05. Scornful swarm
- 06. Parasite paradise