Thergothon - Stream From The Heavens
Release: 1994Label: Avantgarde Music
Deek: Doom metal, especially the death and black laced end of the spectrum, is notorious for having bands that release an amazing, unique or revolutionary debut, only to have the band disband not long afterwards. Winter, Disembowelment, Decomposed, and Thorr's Hammer are perfect examples of this, as is this month's classic feature, Thergothon. Along with fellow Scandinavian bands Funeral and Skepticism, Thergothon were one of the earliest in the style that would eventually be known as funeral doom. Recorded in the fall of 1992 but not released until 1994, "Stream From The Heavens" is the one and only album released by these Finnish masters of doom. Even though the band broke up before its release, what the album unleashed on the world was, at the time (and still today), one of the most depressed and tortured albums ever. Its influence is still heard almost 13 years after its initial recording.
For the recording of the album, the band took two of the songs from their only demo "Fhtagn Nagh Yog-Sothoth", and actually slowed the pace of them. They recorded four other songs to complete the six song, 40 minute album. The material has a rather thin sound to it, yet still will rattle your ear drums with how bass-heavy it is (of note, there is no actual bass used on the album). I know that seems contradictory, but it is true. The album is slow but keeps the interest of the listener. 'Everlasting' opens the album with a rather melodic beat overlapped by the tortured growl of Niko "Skorpio" Sirkiä. The song sets the atmosphere for the album (and the bands to follow in their footsteps). 'Yet The Watchers Guard' is almost agonizingly slow at about 40-45 beats per minute. 'The Unknown Kadath-In-The-Cold-Waste' has a nice prog-like section, with melodic acoustic and keyboards overlapping each other before the blast of the guitar and drums hits unexpectedly (and yes, it's a slow blast). 'Elemental' is seemingly the central point of the album, arguably the band's best song. This is the most varied song on the album, having two vocal styles, the slow drudges to melodic passages and even acoustic guitar work. Despite the pace of the song, it comes off as a very powerful song, one of the best in the doom metal realm (with the acoustics that start about 5:25 through the melodic dirge that begins at 6:20 creating the most powerful and heart-felt sound of the album). 'Who Rides The Astral Wings' has a great "fading pulse" effect for the intro, one of those things that needs to be heard and can't be explained. This is easily the most extreme and heaviest song on the album. The album closes with a sixth song, 'Crying Blood And Crimson Snow'. It is one of the two songs that have vocals that aren't the deep death growl but rather just a bass voice. Also, the keyboards are used to full effect in this song, giving it a haunting atmosphere. It is a perfect closer for the album.
The influence of this album is heard today in all funeral doom, especially the more death-oriented and more extreme material. Evoken, The Funeral Orchestra, Mournful Congregation, Longing For Dawn, Esoteric and many others all owe their existence to "Stream Of The Heavens". One thing to remember is that this album is definitely not for everyone. One would have to be at least appreciative of the whole death-doom metal spectrum to even stand listening to this album. Over the years, it has been one of the most respected doom metal albums of all time, and rightly so, as very few albums, even in doom metal, are this heavy, slow and tortured. A classic on all accounts, this album will go down in metal history as one of the most important extreme metal albums in existence.
Thergothon era "Stream From The Heavens"
AvNatten: Doom. Slowly churning, the tones reek of decay as a tortured vocal slice through them. Total darkness ebbs from your speakers in very slow but constant waves that wash over you with its melancholy. This is the first time I have ever heard Thergothon's "Stream From The Heavens" and upon listening the first word that comes to mind is haunting. Haunting in the sense of hopelessness, isolation, slow decay, and waiting for your own impending doom. The atmosphere on this album is massive and it draws you in to make you view your own world in its muted sepia tones. The echoes of torture resound throughout the night. Even the acoustic work, although it is nice and beautiful in a sense is also full of melancholy. The vocals which go from a throaty growl to a low clean voice are tremendous and suit the music absolutely perfectly. The whispers scattered throughout adds demission. Especially in 'Elemental' as the whispers float above the dancing notes of an acoustic guitar. It's too bad the band disbanded after this album, we will never know if they could have topped this album or not. This album definitely deserves its "classic" status for it will be the music playing as your carcass rots away...
Johell: What a great depressive doomy fall. Thergothon's "Stream From The Heavens" is impressively dark, slow, and spreads an evil feeling. The deep cadaveric vocal lines are so damn ugly, so low and deep in the throat, they just spread an atmosphere of emptiness and despair. There is something in the music that makes me think of Skepticism and Esoteric, but also some early My Dying Bride. The guitars have a very low sound, the drumming is pachydermic and there is a thin veil of keys that envelope this dark painting of funeral doom. Some clean but disturbed vocals appear here and there and the acoustic guitar parts are beautiful. This album is not easy to approach but once in it, there is a meditative wave that floats around, like on 'The Unknown Kadath-In-The-Cold-Waste' and 'Who Rides The Astral Wings' Sure this band is cult and of course this is a classic album from this, sadly, disbanded act from Finland. Thergothon's "Stream From The Heavens" was the first album released on Avantgarde Music.
Tordah: "Stream From The Heavens" is a slow and torture-filled journey from the beginning to the end. I agree with everything that my fellow writers have said. Thergothon created something truly spectacular when they recorded this album. The music is very dark and atmospheric but at the same time organic and beautiful. The middle-part of 'The Unknown Kadath-In-The-Cold-Waste' is one of my favorite parts of the album. The desperate growling and crushing guitars take a rest and give room for some beautiful and minimalistic acoustic guitar lines. If the music doesn't evoke thoughts of hopelessness and emptiness in you then I don't know what else could. It's a shame that the band disbanded after only one masterpiece. I believe they could've done so much more. "Stream From the Heavens" is a pure cult classic that helped shape and create the funeral doom sound. A must have for any metalhead.
Anders: Doom and especially funeral doom, has not been something I have been enjoying for that long. I started out with Traditional doom for some years ago, and took on death/doom and first funeral doom a year and some months ago, the slow churning pace, was something I had a hard time with, while I on the other hand could identify with the melancholic and dark atmospheres presented. Though within the last year I have grown to enjoy some funeral doom bands, and I was very much looking forward to using some time with this album from the Finnish Thergothon.
The compositions are well made, dark paintings of frustration and despair, a claustrophobic atmosphere, which envelopes the listener as a dark fog and keeps one hooked all the way through the album. Melancholy is present as well, as a veil of misery and a longing for what once was or what will become, when it all ends, something desirable.
The means are few and simple, but very effective. The guitar delivers low chords, I guess it's too much to call it riffs, chords, heavy and actually quite bombastic. There is an incredible low end, considered there isn't used a bass on the recording, so one of the guitars must be heavily processed. The drumming is the backbone, though more percussion-like than actually rhythmic drumming, there are hints of rhythm patterns once in a while, though not many. The vocals are a blend of a deep hellish growl, something that could be from the bottoms of the bowels of hell, delivered by the elders, mysterious and effective, and quite captivating. Together with the growl we are served a deep clean, yet tortured vocal, which adds to the atmosphere, and serves as a nice break once in a while.
My favourite track on the album is without a doubt the dark and droning 'Yet The Watchers Guard' a godly cold track that invokes desolation and starts a chain of thoughts of how the last minutes before the eternal darkness will be. The album consists of 6 tracks and lasts a bit more than 40 minutes, and that seems way too little, one craves more when the discs stops playing, very addictive and awe-inspiring funeral doom.
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