Thou Art Lord: The Regal Pulse of Lucifer (2013)

To date, this is the last full-length album released by Thou Art Lord.  And thus it is also the last post in my series here on the band.  One thing I have learned from going over the major releases from Thou Art Lord is that no successive albums sound the same.  And that continues to be the case with this last release.

For the most part this release is similar to the last album and their first album.  That is to say that is a thrashier version of Hellenic black metal.  Particularly on the first couple of songs, "Nine Steps to Hell" and "Πολιτεία δαιμόνων".  The latter track is a full-throttle, pounding tour de force.  The typical Hellenic black metal riffing style is ever-present as always.  I do have to mention the use of the Game of Thrones theme in "Fire and Blood".  At first I was not quite sure I was really hearing it and listened over again.  Sure enough, the band is actually using the opening credits theme to Game of Thrones.

There are some stark differences between this album and the previous one though.  First of all, the keyboard flourishes return on this release, so it is not nearly as stripped-down and organic.  Secondly, the band utilizes some spoken word sections and samples to help tell a greater story, almost certainly about the power of Satan.  But rather than being distracting, these elements serve to accentuate the songs, causing them to stand out more than some of the band's previous releases.  And what results is quite possibly the band's strongest release.

This is probably Thou Art Lord's best album.  The band is no longer a Rotting Christ clone and have forged their own path.  It is a shame that the band has not released anything since this album.  I guess maybe they saved their best for last.