A really pleasant surprise this one, Sanctimonious Order's (SO from now on) debut full length album. I recall myself not enjoying about the previous MCD '...And Still the Battle Rages On' from 2003, so this might make 'Thy Kingdom' much better than it actually is.

Okay, SO do not sound unique this time around either, but they have travelled quite far from last release's overly familiar material. Immortal's 'At the Heart of Winter' (1999) was the album 'Thy Kingdom' reminded me at first, and heavily, just listen to those guitars. Playing the two in a row crushed many of similarities I thought I'd heard. Amon Amarth, Dark Funeral and Dissection style black and death metal are the things what listening to this album raises to my mind, too. What the hell, did SO's guys build a dragon ship and fare the sea from Northern Scandinavia to their today's homecountry Germany? Sounds heavily Scandinavian metal in my ears... Anyways, it is nice to hear, that this album has much, much stronger song material and compositions, than '...And Still...' had. I think these songs work well enough and even 6½-minute length is not too much. Guitars are used to play a lot of textures next to good riffs, so there is no synthesizers used. I think lyrics are something different, when reading the song titles (this is a promo, no lyrics included).

Vocals are a tad more powerful now. Raspy throat vocalization in black metal style is everything you'll hear here. Playing is good, except some drum parts, usually double bass drum stuff that isn't straight but more tricky, seem to be a tad offbeat. Not a big problem, but I notice it every time. Soundwise, 'Thy Kingdom' is okay. The bass drum sound is clicky, and this makes them too loud on mix, but otherwise balance is good between the instruments. The sound is echoey, which takes away bite, but increases atmosphere. Different guitar sounds are the best thing and offer some variety.

SO managed to surprise me positively. I like the direction they have moved to and wish they won't make another such a big step between this and the next release. The band seem to have found a mascot, as the Grim Reaper stars on the cover this time around, too. However, SO are still quite tame when comparing them to vilest hordest, mind you. Try 'Thy Kingdom', if heavily Scandinavian sounding metal is close to your heart of winter, although SO do not sound very cold either.

Rating: 7- (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
12/08/2004 20:09