
All I do these days is review black metal bands with Greek names. Thyrathen hail from Larissa, the birth place of Achilles, but have elected to honour a different group of the bloody-minded and bloody-handed with their second album, Lakonic. Laconia was home of the Spartans for those who don’t know, and as such, the name suggested I could expect some suitably belligerent, stripped back black metal. Yes, I know, never judge an album by its name but I did anyway and those were my expectations when I hit play.
These were not met in the best way.
Lakonic certainly has a powerful, rowdy energy. A lot of that comes from the vocals. Thyrathen boasts two vocalists in Stefan Necroabyssious (Varathon, Kawir) and Alexandros (Macabre Omen), and they have them trading melodies along with the choral vocals supplied by the rest of the band. The ritualistic chaos and drama created by that co-exists with the guitar and bass parts of Noch, the lyre of Thanasis Kleopas, and the very lively drum assault of Corax S. Their work veers between bursts of black metal, galloping trad melodies, and contemplative folk in a way similar to much Greek black metal, only more so. This might seem like Thyrathen‘s sound should be over-crowded, but it never is. Every element gets its turn and builds to the next outburst. Sometimes those outbursts are channeled to provide a warlike sound as with the middle part of “Matter, Void, Sperm”, but the bulk of Lakonic focuses more on a sense of exultation. Tracks like “Religious Agonies” and “Void, Matter, Sperm” don’t just provide a captivating take on black metal, they sound like they’d be an absolute blast live.
Multiple listens exploring the intricacies hidden in Lakonic has only increased my admiration for Thyrathen. There are layers of sound here that adds up to something that isn’t just very enjoyable to listen to, but also full of an infectious vitality. It’s pagan black metal where the term pagan means something. Thyrathen didn’t meet my lazy expectations, but Lakonic is still more than fit for meeting the world head on with.