Embrace of Thorns – Entropy Dynamics
Release Date: 10th October 2022
Label: Nuclear Winter Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Blackened Death Metal.
FFO: Archgoat, Grave Miasma, Dead Congregation, Perdition Temple.
Review By: Andy Spoon
Greek Blackened Brutal Death artists Embrace of Thorns is set to release their sixth studio album on October 10th, 2022 on Nuclear Winter Records on digital, vinyl, CD, and cassette tape formats. After exploring a more “pure” sound on their previous EP, the band is taking a step in that direction once again, hoping to keep some of the same energy on Entropy Dynamics, at least departing from a majority black metal release by incorporating more of the classic death metal vibes.
The vocals remind me of Gene Palubicki (Perdition Temple, Malefic Throne) at times, which are awesome. I really love that technique from the later Morbid Angel stuff that seems to mix a mid-range growl with some of the nasal “headroom” that lends itself to great enunciation. It makes the listening more enjoyable as it doesn’t just sound like someone is mumbling into a microphone. Many extreme metal acts have relegated vocals to a rhythm instrument; so it is nice to be able to enjoy having some harsh, but intelligible vocals a la Morbid Angel. Dynamically speaking, the guitars are the main instrument that come forward. They definitely have some of that really punchy Swedish tone that is just juicy and heavy. It’s not hard to identify the black metal influence in the overall sound, as there are lots and lots of moments where the suspended chords seem to bounce back and forth from the old school or Swedish death metal riffs.
Dynamics have always been an important part of their songwriting process, and it shows in the transitions between blackened and traditional death metal. There are numerous moments of instrumental interludes and breakdowns in tempo to transition from one track to another (See The Arrow of Time, Ululation, and Wormfest). Yet, there are some tracks which are especially brutal, and I think that it makes a damn fine listening experience. Such an example is Scythes Reaping Conscience, which is chock-full of speed and insanity, wailing guitar leads, and blast beats. On that particular track, I was really treated to the “brutal death” influence that the band clearly has mastered. Other tracks lean into the blackened metal, however, so a full listen is required to hear the spread of dynamics.
A couple of good examples of the black metal tracks are Blackest Orthodoxy Perpetuated, and The Breath of the Beast, where the blackened metal takes a center stage of the sound, sometimes dancing back into the OSDM or Swedish sound. Each of the tracks (non-interlude) is over 5:00 in length, so prepare for moody cascades and atmosphere-building on some parts where the black metal is present, and crushing repetition on other parts where tempo and speed seem to be at the top of the priority list (See Vultures’ Ritual Dance and Scythes Reaping Conscience). I think that the blend of death and black metal are somewhat separate, and not just a bunch of blackened death. There are distinct tracks that are clearly more one way than the other. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, either, as it seems to really work on this album.
Sometimes, there is a chance that a band with multiple genres of influence ends up sounding like two bands cramming their music together on an LP, and it lacks cohesion. I think that Embrace of Thorns really has managed to avoid that with solid continuity across the tracks on the album. Thankfully, it all seems to work. Overall, Embrace of Thorns wanted to make an album that showed they were quite a bit deeper than previous albums, something that they have managed to succeed at with an excellent dual-personality between black and traditional death metal and excellent vocals. 
(3.5 / 5)
