Warcoe - Upon Tall Thrones

Warcoe is a doom metal band from Italy, who formed in 2021. Despite being only a few years old, the band is already dropping their third full-length album “Upon Tall Thrones.” 

Warcoe's sound is pretty straightforward but there is a clarity in how focused their sound is. They are doom and are here to play it. It isn't an extreme form of the genre but neither is it a copycat clone of anything else. 

Their sound has a modern heaviness; the tone of the instruments are a lot more biting instead of being stopped in a 70's worship phase. It isn't so much as stoner as it is a crushing boulder, the album having a stark nastiness to it at times that is a little sludge.

The production/mix is an element that stands out to me. It isn't raw by any means, but it isn't flashy or overproduced. If anything, it has a natural, organic feel to it which is something I always appreciate especially for this style of doom.

The album begins with “Octagon,” and its big riffs.  The bass is quite audible and just as heavy, a two punch of intensity that lasts for most of the album.  The vocals are clean, but they fit the style.  I’m glad it’s a clear voice instead of being filtered and hidden behind a fog, which is what a lot of more traditional doom bands do.  I really like the riffs in the second half, especially when they back up the short but sweet solo. 

“I’ve Sat Upon Tall Thrones (but I’ll never learn)” is a mouth full of a title but it’s a massive song in of itself.  The riffs are groovy as fuck, and the drumming is too but with a really electric urgency to them.  Overall, this is a quite catchy song and probably a good place for newcomers to the band to start with.  The instrumentals hit hard after the second half and pour on the doom.  The drums kick into gear and just go for broke.  Just because your doom doesn't mean you can’t have excitement! 

“Spheres,” is an interesting song with a hard rock feel in the beginning.  The pulsating beat grows louder until nasty, swampy riffs hit like molten lava: ever flowing, devouring everything.  In between the starkness is more of a catchy rock feel and it works very well for the song.  Sort of reminds me of Clutch, which is a very good thing.  Doom metal Clutch?  Sign me up! The guitars/bass get bigger as the seconds pass, but the song never loses its fervor.  

But my favorite song on the album is the final song, “Dark Into Light.”  It has a classic doom feel in the beginning.  The lead guitar is just psychedelic enough while the drums begin to ramp everything up. The middle passage is fantastic……aggressive doom riffs digging up the Earth itself just before a funky piece that breaks through, the bass getting a chance to walk about.  

All in all, Warcoe’s latest album is definitely their best.  Fans of non-extreme doom metal will find little to complain about here.  The whole is so solidly written that anyone looking to discover the genre could do much worse than finding this album first. 

Rating:  Solid