Review by Felix on June 27, 2024.

Marthyrium from Spain have been formed in 2006 and now, 18 years later, their discography consists of two full-lengths and minor additions. That’s not much and somehow sad, because “Beyond the Thresholds”, their first album from 2017, reveals their remarkable potential. The three-piece rumbles through the eclipsed wasteland of horror which lies at the interface of black and death metal. But don’t think of those bands like Necrophobic or Germany’s Unhallowed that combine these sub-genres with elegance. Here everything is dedicated to the absolute downfall. There is nothing else but raging evil, blackest night and eternal devastation. While the aforementioned formations present mesmerizing melodies in abundance, Marthyrium do not care about this feature.

Naturally, this has an effect on the overall picture. On the one hand, the dudes cannot be blamed for lukewarm compromises or aimless fickleness. On the other hand, I wish a formative melody would rise from the maw of hell every now and then. The guitar work creates an infernal, terrifying and extremely sinister aura, but it stagnates on this level during the entire 35 minutes. I know it is not fair and I don’t mean it seriously, but it almost feels like an one-tone-approach. The band walks through a tunnel from which there is no escape and which imposes a tight musical corset on them. Anyway, the dudes do it with style and class. The five tracks between intro and outro merge with each other and turn out to be an oppressive symphony of the Apocalypse. Catchy elements would help the listener to accompany the gruesome trip of the trio, but they are difficult to find even with a magnifying glass. I remember a kind of chorus line in “Temple of Flesh”, but not much more.

Possibly due to the absence of remarkable melodies, the material lacks depth. It is no big deal, it is just sad that the band does not take the final step from a good to an outstanding album, at least in my humble opinion. But in their world of voluntary self-limitation, they have built a coherent surrounding. In other words, it goes without saying that the vocals are very death metal affine and more or less without any variation. Lead vocalist Tharngrist grunts and bellows with the deepest voice he has found all over Galicia. But no problem, just like his comrades who form the rhythm section, he performs whole-heartedly. Thus, one can take a trip to the most stinking and simultaneously hottest pits of hell, not at least because of the production. The guitar is not extremely low-tuned, but deep enough to support the musical vision of the band. I don’t want to listen to “Beyond the Thresholds” ten times in a row, but I enjoy this kind of music from time to time, because I appreciate its omnipresent doomsday mood.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10