Thränenkind – King Apathy (2016)

Arriving from Germany, today we have one of the most disarming releases in the last few years with Thränenkind‘s “King Apathy”. Filled with emotional bleakness, this release features 46 minutes of brilliant music that will evoke an emotional response from the toughest Metalhead out there. Completely intense and gratifying from start to finish, this is one of the best albums of 2016.

Setting the mood with the crushing opener “Desperation”, we are instantly immersed in the band’s unique mixture of Post-Metal/Black Metal thanks to the incisive riffs and mournful vocals. Expertly contrasting brutality with melody, the band delivers an intense performance filled with raw passion. As the album slowly progresses, the songs keep getting darker and darker as “King Apathy” and “Ghosts” storm the listener.

Sounding like a mixture of Harakiri for the Sky and Katatonia, “Urban Giants” is one of the best tracks in this release. Delivering incisive riffs and very somber melodic passages, “The Blood on our Hands” is another killer track filled with playful percussions and brilliant tempo changes. Further refining their sound since the band’s debut release “Elk”, this quintet has evolved into an even more melodic/atmospheric outfit with bleak songs like “What We Believe In” and “Smokestacks and Concrete Walls”.

In the dreamy Post-Rock-ish opening of “Vanishing Youth” one can see the versatility of this band as they seamlessly introduce some Punk/Crust influences into their unique musical blend. All of this while keeping the level of melodrama quite high. Closing the release with yet another brilliant piece, “Homeruiner” delivers the final emotional blow of this album.

As a whole, “King Apathy” is one magical release that will grab you and never let go. The album’s production is top notch, allowing every detail to be fully felt by the listener and making the music have a bigger impact. If you are a fan of emotional and dark music with good doses of heavy sections, this is definitely the release for you. This album is completely recommended for fans of bands like Agalloch, Agrypnie, Der Weg einer Freiheit and Todtgelichter.

Label: LifeForce Records

Release: May 13th, 2016

Genre: Post-Metal / Post-Black Metal

Country: Germany