Sun of the Dying - A Throne of Ashes

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Sun of the Dying is a death/doom metal band from Spain, who formed in 2013. Their latest release, “A Throne of Ashes,” is their 3rd full-length album. 

This album came down from void itself to destroy my carefully crafted “Best doom metal of 2025” list. I'm not so naive that I already had it done but I thought I was getting close.  

But it's not really a problem to experience an album this good is it?

Sun of the Dying offers up a crushing experience that offers so many grand moments. The album can be as vicious as anything I've heard this year but can also be epic and melodic on a very large scale. Several of the songs have a chorus that really grabbed me, not something that happens very often in doom.

“Martyrs” begins gently, soothing keys and a bell ringing in the distance. Around the 25 second mark, a dark melody overlays with chunky riffs, creating a heavy but smoothly flowing passage. No matter what the band brings to the songs, everything always flows.

The clean vocals are fantastic: clear, emotive and perfectly balanced in the mix. The chorus brings in the death growls, which are just as emotional and some of the best I've heard this year.

The clean parts of the song are just intricate enough while still being open for the liminal spaced to ring out in the atmosphere. The drums and lead guitar add a lot of chaos into the later half of the song. Doom that exists on the edge of madness? Yes, please.

"With Wings Aflame,” exists in a minimalistic universe, at least in the opening. Massive yet simple keys/riffs add a density the bass plays around with, peaking out from the cloud cover as the song approaches a massive chorus that smirks within the keys to create a feeling that is oppressive yet Gothic melodic.

After an enchanting mid passage with keys, the bass and guitars drop the hammer and offer some of the heaviest riffs on the album. I love how the drums take over and keep the heaviness going while the rest of the band builds back to a melodic roar. 

The final song, “Of Absence,” pulls on the heartstrings tightly, what with the clean key intro and the melodic guitars that follow. It's all surprisingly catchy as all as it races towards heavy, tight riffs that steadily push the song. 

The chorus is towering and proves that extreme vocals can be just as powerful as cleans. The air of tragedy that permeates the song is profound yet I can sense hope, or at least acceptance, in places too.

All in all, Sun of the Dying's “A Throne of Ashes,” is an absolutely monumental doom album that came out of nowhere to make a statement. If you're a fan of the melodic and melancholic side of the genre, you're going to want to jump on this immediately. 

Rating: Excellent










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