Norwegian Death Metal Juggernaut Blood Red Throne returns with their eleventh studio album. Nonagon sees the return of original drummer Freddy the Shred Boiso and the debut of new vocalist Sindre Wathne Johnsen.

Things get kicked off in classic Blood Red Throne fashion with “Epitaph Inscribed.”   The track intros with a nice solo guitar line before everything gets kicked in. One thing I love about Blood Red Throne releases is that they are so clean and catchy to listen to. “Ode to The Obscene” is another splendid example of this. You can hear the Death influence on these guys with this one. Stian Gunderson’s bass lines are on point. Ronnie Bjornstrom (Aeon) mixed and mastered Nonagon and it is top notch.

“Seeking to Pierce” is another track where you can hear the Chuck Schuldiner influence right off the bat on the first riff. BRT is in that rare group of old school death metal bands that can make old school sound modern and interesting to listen to. They are by no means the fastest band and I do not think that is the intention with their song structure.

I also like that with newer Blood Red Throne material you can hear throwbacks to older albums like my personal favorite of theirs Altered Genesis. “Tempest Sculptor” has one of the catchiest intro riffs on the album and is one of the featured tracks.

At a run time right around 43 minutes, this is a meaty slab of Norwegian Death Metal to consume. The title track “Nonagon” continues like most of the other tracks. Blood Red Throne does any excellent job of making mid-paced death metal interesting and catchy to listen to. “Split Tongue Sermon” has one of the best circle pit parts. “Blade Eulogy” one of the other featured tracks is another excellent example of what Blood Red Throne does well, pummel the listener with grooves. “Fleshrend” finishes the album and reminds me a little bit of Florida’s Brutality.

Another incredibly solid album. They do not vary much from their formula of Norwegian Death Metal, and that is in part what makes Blood Red Throne so great. 2024 is going to be a busy year for albums. A fantastic way to start the year.

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