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Germany's Thron have been quite productive in their rather short career which started in 2015, as they have already released their third album earlier this year. This one named Pilgrim is my first venture into the band's efforts and certainly has left a strong impression.

The first time listening to this album, I noted right away that the sound is much like that of Dissection and Watain in that it has that unique guitar tone with a very melodic approach in the writing. However, comparing this band's effort here to the albums of the other two bands is not a reasonable decision, as Pilgrim uses those soundscapes differently. In addition, there are places which seem like a more muscular version of what you might expect from recent albums by Tribulation.

The opener "The Prophet" is one of the most aggressive tracks on the album, especially made apparent by the fierce vocal delivery by SAMCA, whose work on the album is a genuine highlight. Not only does he have a throat-ripping aggressiveness in his vocals, but he is also very easy to understand, making the need for a lyrics sheet unnecessary. In addition to an outstanding vocal performance, this track really shines in all areas and is the track that could be most compared to early Watain. The second track, "To Dusk," has a lot of variety, especially in how it shifts into a lighter section that is highly melodic and feels very much like what Tribulation are doing nowadays. "Nothingness" starts and finishes with just that: Nothingness. However, it isn't just silence for a few seconds at the beginning and end of the song. Rather, imagine the conscious state of the mind entering the realm of nothingness. It is not a true silence, as consciousness is still there, which may be an explanation of the musical ambience at the beginning and end of the song, which is on its own also a great track. "Hosanna in the Highest" is the foot stomper track of the first half, especially with the opening riff that will get you banging your head for sure.

After the instrumental track "Epitome," the album reaches what I consider the likely climax that is "The Reverence." It just stands out with its more common harmonic production and bold sound. The lyrics are almost delivered in a way that makes this feel like the anthemic track for the album, and the second half of the song takes a unique turn in an effort to cool down while still twisting and turning for engaging the listener. The second half of the album after "The Reverence" is not bad at all, but rather lacks the secret sauce that makes the first collection of tracks standouts. Each of the last few tracks has uniqueness, not sounding just like all of the other tracks, but there just isn't much to allow those tracks to pop out and stick with the listener. The final track, "Into Disarray," does remedy that issue a little, but still does not manage to impress the way the first half did.

What we have here is not a copy of Watain, Dissection, or Tribulation. This is a band who have a sound closely related to the three that does something different. However, if you like the sounds of those bands, there really isn't any reason why you wouldn't like this as well.