Embrace of Thorns – Atonement Ritual (2009) [Nuclear War Now!] // Grade: A

Having grown up in a household that went to church almost every Sunday I can honestly say that this album would make my mom faint if she read the lyrics. Holy shit. Embrace of Thorns’ new release Atonement Ritual is the follow up to their successful first full-length, …For I See Death In Their Eyes…. Prior to that, they produced a series of obscure demos and splits which at the time of their last release, were hard to come by. This probably has something to do with the blood-soaked grass roots Embrace of Thorns seems to embody. They’re not the type of band that will litter the hipster metal blogs with their own promotional comments, they don’t tour with washed-up black metal acts and they sure as fuck don’t care about anything else than destroying the Judeo-Christian beliefs.

The title track, Atonement Ritual is a raised fist battle cry. Here’s where Nuctemeron Bestial Ravisher of the Divine Harmony, Herald Of Demonic Pestilence and Archfiend DevilPig’s vocal melee begins. With three members to the band, each has their share to say; just all at once. The vocals overlap and echo through the cloud of particles that reverberate from the onslaught of drums and riffage. Tombs Of The Desecrated Zealots continues with a corpse-splitting growl and classic black metal riffs.

After Impure Orgasm (Intro) and Nemesis Of Impurity, the album marches along with Death Yells In Triumph, a nicely paced sternum splitting anthem and while most of the album is a brute-force attack from the onset, Embrace of Thorns does a good job of slowing it down to a demented pace just before building it back up to attack mode without being melodic or soothing. This album plays like a claustrophobic blood ritual.

It’s easy to dress this review with more metaphors, but one thing is for sure, these guys mean business. They aren’t out for your wallets, or internet-fame, they’re just out to spew their anti-Judeo-Christian doctrine and recruit more soldiers in their war. Maybe fuel an blood orgy or two along the way. It’s not for everyone to enjoy and I think that’s the point. You’ll probably hate it, but it’s a great album floating in a sea of banal and melodic black metal.

- Prolly