These German anarchist post-black metallers are back for a second full-length helping of desolation and despair following their 2019 debut, Codex, and this year’s Hestia EP. Toadeater’s strength is in their willingness to deviate from the script, as illustrated by the quieter passages of Conquering The Throne, which have as much in common with 80s post-punk and goth as anything on the metal spectrum. Likewise, Crows And Sparrows kicks off with a repetitive jangle that could have been torn from Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures. The emphasis on melody – carried by the instrumentation rather than the vocals – is noticeable throughout, as is the consideration invested in their use of the rhythm section as more than a simple timekeeping device. The use of synthesiser is limited to atmospheric shading, which better enables the sheet metal riffs to glower.
