Album Review: Hollow Thrones & Shattered Crowns

Ignoble’s debut album Hollow Thrones & Shattered Crowns took me on an adventure alternating between gorgeous and brutal contrasts fleshed out with skillfully woven shades of grey. This recording fueled my imagination whilst also evoking a very strong emotional and physical response to the charged lyrical themes and superb musicianship.

The band has skillfully created a smorgasbord of sound through the fusion of thrash, melodic death metal and metalcore. Songs such as the album opener Through Fractured Hours, Beneath The Mirror and Meliorism pulled me in with arpeggiated, atmospheric intros that shifted with no notice into full-on aggressive thrash. Freakin’ awesome!

But wait, there’s more! Polar vocal styles weave together soulfully in Ego’s Reign and Cycle of Suffering, alternating between hardcore death growls and melodic passages reminiscent of Blindspott, Linkin Park and Alien Weaponry. Elegant tempo shifts from thrash to sublime, primal hardcore grooves in A Throne Made Empty had me wanting to throw myself around with wild abandon.

Soaring guitar solos thread throughout the album, juxtaposed with blistering phrases alternating between techniques such as tapping and artfully spaced singular notes. More delicious contrasts abound in Beneath The Mirror and the album finale In The Home Of Our Wounds as two guitars serenade each other, one with power chords, the other arpeggiated notes which creates a delectably devilish interplay between them.

The Nothingness Without is the highlight of the album for me. Soaring riffs segue immaculately into down-and-dirty grooves after powering through some hardcore thrash. What follows next is a deliciously atmospheric bridge combined with guttural vocals… swoon! If this is what nothingness feels like I want to wrap myself up in it for all eternity.

The band states that Hollow Thrones & Shattered Crowns represents years of songwriting and development. The finished product is a testament to their effort and dedication. These songs are exceptionally well crafted with attention to every detail.

In The Home Of Our Wounds is the perfect climax to the journey. I finished the album with that replete, satisfying feeling that I often get after a full-on gym workout or alternately a bloody great shag.