Battle Dagorath maintains many proud traditions in the realm of black metal, namely that of Tolkien-inspired narratives – a practice laid out by legendary bands like Burzum, Isengard, Gorgoroth, Summoning, etc. – and that of despairing although violent wall-to-wall sound attacks in the way of Dødheimsgard and 1349.

Eternal Throne is a nice little piece of war, fought with conventional, thus time-honored weaponry: Varied rhythms and melodious guitar-riffs. Menacing and eerie vocals illustrating the inner turmoil of the tormented and mad orcs and goblins of the Tolkien Universe.  A single – and quite inspiring quote from the “Lord of The Rings” movie, in the song “Ruin upon the Mountainside”. Some marching drums in “The Marching Shadows of Eternal Death” (bad title, good song).

Everything has been seen and heard before, but the quality is high, the changes fairly dynamic, and the drama-level more than adequate for the genre.

However the album suffers from numerous flaws. First of all it has no real replay value. It lacks the last ounces of recognizable originality, that makes you want to spin it again and again. It lacks drive in some songs too. And, it’s simply too long – almost an hour – and could easily be trimmed down to create a more concentrated dose of sorrow and hatred. Although it does not contain the extremely exaggerated intros and masturbatory soundscaping as most modern black, some parts are really just soaked in boogieman-effects and keyboard extravaganza. I’m not entertained by such.