Band: THRONEUM / STORMVOLD
Country: Poland / Spain
Title: Fifth Column of Sheol
Label: Hammer of Damnation
Year: 2019
Style: Black Death Metal

Review:
Not sure how much such split CDs sell Today, but lately I've seen more an more being released, so probably there's a good reason behind this. Here we get Polish Throneum with 5 tracks and Spanish Stormvold with 4, for a total duration of a bit over 35 minutes. 
Opening are Throneum who are becoming like the Nunslaughter of the East releasing more and more material every year and still going strong after almost 25 years (including the Throne period) of activity. If the tracks are new and the band avoid falling into mediocrity, I think releasing so much material is a plus for the band, especially with these splits that are showing their music to fans of other bands that probably normally wouldn't have met the band otherwise. Their 5 tracks here are the classic formula: horror infused (mostly) fast paced Death Metal with demented Black Metal influences, absolutely raw around the edges, organic and I think live-recorded, primitive and visceral brutality only a few will be able to handle. Although there's not much to catch on, the tracks have plenty of diversity and honesty to impress the listener and keep that well-deserved respect for the band intact.
Stormvold hailing from the sunny Tenerife sound like they have just discovered the pits of hell in their backyard, total devastation from start to finish. Not sure how much of their music is improvised and how much is actually set in stone, but I think they successfully achieve what they are after: total disgust and horror on the listener. Apart from a few comprehensive, almost groovy passages, the whole of their music is crude brutality, incessant speed and chaos on musical instruments. Obviously their 4 tracks will appeal to even less listeners than in Throneum's case, but again, I think that's the whole point of both bands here, to shock the listener, which is not so easy nowadays, one has to admit.
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10   7/10

Contact:
facebook.com/ThroneumOfficial
facebook.com/stormvold666
hodrecs.com