Last year, Indiana power thrashers Idol Throne released their three-track Proof of Life demo. With a sound they lovingly refer to as “vintage-modern,” Idol Throne is a magma-hot melting pot of influences. The grit of Bay Area thrash. The guitar fireworks of ’90s shred and prog metal. The melodic inclinations of American power and trad metal. You can hear all those elements and more in Idol Throne’s first single from their upcoming debut LP, The Sibylline Age. Stormspell Records will release the album in July, but you can exclusively listen to “Unholy Warrior” here and now.
Within 30 seconds, “Unholy Warrior” nails the self-applied “vintage-modern” tag. Vocalist Jake Quintanill wails from the fray of a tough-as-nails thrash riff. Guitarists Jason Schultz and Martin Bowman fight side by side in combat, with nimble riffing packing each note with extra power. In the second half of the song they trade solos for almost a full minute while drummer Aaron Grove races the devil. There’s a sense of pure heavy metal grandeur throughout the song, concluding with a rousing sky-punching chorus. Mixed by Lukas Roth (Wildhunt) and mastered by V. Santura (Obscura, Triptykon, Dark Fortress), the album sounds as polished as a battle-ready blade. Despite the contemporary sheen, the heart of the album still beats for the golden era of thrash and traditional metal.
“We needed a definitive opening track for the album, so my goal became to write something that made an immediate musical statement about who we are as a band,” says lead guitarist Martin Bowman. “The song is fast and thrash-oriented, but at the same time has strong power metal elements and some progressive twists and turns. We feel that it’s a great introduction to what we do.”
“”Unholy Warrior” is a perfect distillation of the various elements that make up our sound,” guitarist Jason Schultz concurs. “I am super proud of how thrash-forward this song is while also being extremely melodic and guitar-centric, with a cool prog influenced instrumental section thrown in
for good measure. We feel that this is a great introduction to the band and to the various sounds that the listener can expect on the full-length release!”
Prepare for battle and press play on “Unholy Warrior” below.
Follow Stormspell Records to pre-order Idol Throne’s The Sibylline Age HERE
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Idol Throne photo by Kyle Bergfors
