Thornafire, Eclipse Nox Coagula

The last time I heard from Chile’s Thornafire it was 2009 and I had just received their sophomore full-length, Vorex Deconstrucción. It was a solid helping of death metal, but didn’t offer much else beyond some unnecessary keyboards. Well, it looks like the guys have taken the past couple of years to iron out a few things, most notably the removal of most of the keyboard work/effects that muddied the waters in 2009. They’ve also adopted more of a thrash vibe, injecting their take on death metal with some serious energy and gallop.

Eclipse Nox Goagula opens up with “Carnaval Caos,” a song that builds quickly with bestial drum work, driving riffs and unhinged growling vocals. The song sets the mood for the rest of the album nicely with a straightforward eruption of thrashing death metal that carries a touch of melodic, yet desolate atmosphere. From what I remember of the band’s last album, the new material feels a bit more thought out and developed. “Malefator Manifeisto” is easily the singular highlight of the album as it builds to a whirlwind crescendo of churning riffs and a mid-tempo chugging rhythm. It’s not the heaviest track (nor the longest) on the album, but it surely is the most diverse and well written.

“Ruptura” is a pretty straightforward affair with blasting drums, off-kilter riffs and vicious barks. It’s exactly what the album needed after the more exploratory second track. “Vulgar Medium Extoplasma” keeps the mid-tempo chugging moving along swiftly with cold guitars and heavy-handed drum work. The song sets up another stand-out track, “Immortal Agonia,” nicely. This song has some slick guitar work, memorable riffing and a steady, pummelling rhythm that’ll have your head nodding instantly. Ready for a little unrelenting gallop? Good, check out the absolutely bulldozing “Desintegración” — it’s balls-to-the-wall thrashing death, which ultimately leads into “Sumisión,” another outstanding effort from the band.

I’m glad to see that the keyboards have been abandoned for the most part. Thornafire’s music is strong enough on its own that it doesn’t need any unnecessary atmospheric embellishment. Eclipse Nox Goagula is a definite step in the right direction for the band. It’s a thrashing beast of an album that hints at more death metal goodness to come from these guys. I can’t wait!