Review Summary: A record in the vein of the mighty Summoning that unfortunately can't quite live up to its influences.
Anyone who’s listened to any entry in Summoning’s discography will have some sort of idea what Elffor’s
From The Throne Of Hate sounds like. Medieval esque synths going for an “epic” atmosphere are the name of the game here, in fact arguably more so even than Summoning. Elffor trade much of the classic black metal influence and let pretty much every aspect aside from the synths take backstage. In that way, the album stands out from the pack yet falls short as well since the synths just aren’t engaging enough to carry the record like it needs to. Other bands in this niche style have managed to retain a black metal edge while simultaneously crafting infectious and effective symphonic melodies. Elffor by comparison scrape by with little of either, but just enough that the album doesn’t fail completely.
You could get a pretty clear feel for the album as a whole just by the first track. “Old” begins with a majestic synth melody and that’s most of what the rest of the track rolls with. Black metal styled shrieks are present, but act as more of a background instrument, and guitars are all but absent. The first half of
From The Throne Of Hate progresses in much the same fashion. It isn’t until “Upon The Barbarian Woods” that things really get interesting. Elffor’s black metal side comes out to play with vicious blast beats and a cold old school feel. A few songs continue this, and are better for it, but by the end of the album Elffor reverts to its synth heavy style again. For these reasons, the middle stretch is by far the strongest. It’s a resulting shame that the lowly mixed guitars steal some of the effectiveness of these songs.
Elffor certainly wears its influences on its sleeve proudly, the only issue is that it can’t come close to competing with the likes of Summoning. The emphasis on synths, and lack thereof on black metal, leaves the listener with a vaguely empty feeling by the end. However, if you like your epic black metal heavy on the epic and the synths, and light on the black metal, then Elffor might be for you.
