For the most part, Thronehammer’s second full-length is poised to offer the same colossal Battle Doom as 2019’s Usurper Of The Oaken Throne. Incantation Rites (Supreme Chaos Records) features a similarly expansive runtime at seventy-five minutes long with the individual songs putting in the same mix of drawn-out lengths and monolithic tempos. This continuation would raise concerns of recessing into stagnancy, but the band hones their focus while picking up a couple of new tricks along the way.

Right off the bat, the vocals feel more confident this time around. As with the debut, Kat Shevil Gillham’s delivery primarily consists of a pseudo-operatic bellow occasionally rounded by harsher grunts. However, her performance seems to have more conviction behind it with her growls sounding fuller and her actual lines have deeper impacts. The more mantric lines on songs like the opening title track and ‘Devouring Kingdoms’ do a splendid job of driving things along while the more straightforward phrasings on ‘Thy Blood’ and ‘Eternal Thralldom’ make for catchy flowing anthems.

Going along with that, the other band members also bring sufficient energy to their performances. The guitar tone reflects the vocals’ heightened power with some fullness of their own while the rhythm section plays a more active role, especially the drums. As a result, the pacing on this album feels less slothful and easier to work with than its predecessor despite operating on a similar stylistic method. It certainly helps that the snappier songs are placed toward the beginning so that the longer tracks are able to develop without feeling the need to immediately grab the listener.

While Usurper Of The Oaken Throne was something of a grower when it was first released, Incantation Rites is a noticeably more immediate listen in comparison. It carries over many of the last album’s strengths, pushes them to even further extents, and pairs them with songwriting that is more dynamic and digestible. The extreme lengths may still be a hard sell for those beyond the Doom community but is definitely a strong entry point for those interested in seeing the might of Thronehammer.

 Buy the album here: https://thronehammer.bandcamp.com/album/incantation-rites

9 / 10

CHRIS LATTA