Vow of Thorns – Farewell To The Sun (2016)
Release Date: July 15, 2016
Label: Forest Dweller Inc.
For fans of Agalloch, Fen, Woods of Ypres (older), Krallice, Woods of Desolation
VowofThorns.com | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twittter @VowofThorns
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“If you, like me, think Agalloch shined brightest on 2006’s Ashes against the Grain, then Farewell to the Sun ought to slake your thirst. Vow of Thorns not only emulate that record perfect melodic balance, they even composed a three part title track.” – Invisible Oranges
“the music itself conveys changing sensations of fear, despair, grief, and resignation, mixed with determination and defiance. And throughout this long song (Doomed Woods), there is a heavy overhang of cold grey skies, pierced at times by rays of illumination.” – No Clean Singing
“Vow Of Thorns do indeed pull off some cool things (The bridge of Farewell To The Sun Part I is a special favorite of mine)” – Metal Injection
“Farewell To The Sun is some of the most introspective black metal and most upbeat, yet somehow gloomy, blackened doom metal we’ve ever encountered. It captures your attention, alters your mood, plays tricks with your ideas of genre stereotyping and remorselessly plunges you into the dense no mans land occupied by this great band.” – Worship Metal
“The ‘Farewell To The Sun’ trilogy on this album is probably one of the best pieces of blackened music I’ve heard this year.” – Merchants of Air
““Farewell to the Sun” has an atmosphere to it that is just as great as the music itself, so rejoice, escape and blast this spectacular album.” – Five Magics Music
“Any fan of Blackened Doom Metal should run for this one. Vow of Thorns is just one more great band from Canada, a place that’s been belting out good metal for ages, but especially right now. Take it all in in one sitting, and then take it all in again. You’ll be more than satisfied.” – The Dirty Room
“This record is as diverse as its songs are expansive. There’s a strong thematic feeling to the music, but it always comes across as fresh and eager. The beauty of the riffing is juxtaposed with the anger of the singing…Vow of Thorns succeeds in doing what many bands have never attempted in doing, creating very heavy and very beautiful music simultaneously. Walk the path before you, the effort is well worth it.” – Glacially Musical
“
this is an album which you play from start to finish.” – Kingston Music Reviews
“
Doom metal is predicated upon dark atmosphere, and there may not be any better at establishing that in contemporary metal than Vow of Thorns. All the details meticulously arranged, it has a painful density that smothers and paralyzes.” – We Love Metal
“Vow Of Thorns sets out to create a solemn, downtrodden atmosphere with glimmers of hope.” – Lords of Metal
“a great little listen that will hopefully make waves in the ambient/atmospheric black metal scene.” – Soundscape Magazine
“The juxtaposition of misery and enlightenment that pervades some of this music is quite effective in stirring both negative and positive emotions in the listener…Whether playing upbeat or downbeat, (or kind of both), the band are focused and show an attention to detail in their craft. The songs are well-written and achieve what their makers intend for them.” – Wonderbox Metal
“It has ferocious Black Metal elements, meditative yet calmer moments, and the songs have the time actually unravel their secrets. Those are some of the elements that make me love contemporary Black Metal; it is not afraid to go against the conventions of each genre. This is a gem that must be discovered.” – Le Mot Du Melo Maniaque
1. Meeting On The Astral Plane (10:30)
2. Great Abomination (5:07)
3. Farewell To The Sun Part I (4:28)
4. Farewell To The Sun Part II (10:32)
5. Farewell To The Sun Part III (7:51)
• All songs performed by: Vow of Thorns
• All songs written by: Vow of Thorns
• Produced by: Michael “Musashi” Marucci and Vow of Thorns
• Mixed by: Jason W. Walton
• Mastered by: Jason W. Walton
• CD Cover, Album Artwork Photography by: Kerrie Winegarden (Forest Photography) Illustrations by: Manuel Scapinello
Album & Live Band Line Up:
Kevin Hawthorne (Vocals/Guitar)
Dustin Richards (Guitar/Vocals)
Ryan Flower (Bass/Vocals)
Farewell To The Sun – LP (2016)
Forest Dweller- EP (2013)
Shared stage with: Agalloch, Amiensus, Arbor, Ashbringer, Baaslte, Battlesoul, Biblical, Castle, Crimson Shadows, Empyrean Plague, Hawkeyes, InAeona, Jex Thoth, Panzer Faust, Sig:Ar:Tyr, Sylvus, Thantifaxath, Unbowed, Wounds, Yeti on Horseback
2015 – “Ascending to New Lands” Summer Tour (Amiensus and Ashbringer) *Just Toronto, Guelph and London dates
2014 – “Echos over Oceans” Tour (Arbor) Buffalo, Toronto, London
2014 – Empty Fest 6 – Sarnia, ON
Ontario-dwelling black metal doom fusionists Vow of Thorns once served as an anagram for Kevin Hawthorne’s solo work, now a joint effort with Dustin Richards, the duo has quickly become one of the most intimidating musical ventures to date. The band is constantly shifting between disparaging black metal vocals and triumphant guitar hooks dripping with doom-encrusted bass riffs and theatrical drums. The band pairs the forces of black metal and doom, blending the two styles with ease while maintaining a certain sense of tension and uncertainty in the air. Lyrically, the vocals act like a lone wolf trailing off into a forest unwilling to look back and focusing only on what despair lay ahead. With titles like ‘To The Unknown’ and ‘Wood Etched Epitaph’ on their 2013 debut EP ‘Forest Dweller’ the band accurately absorbs elements of the Canadian northern climate and transcribes it into works of musical art.
For the past 6 years, the band has been conceptualizing albums and pushing the boundary between aggressive and emotional. Songs are constructed unanimously and without interruption in a seamless writing process to craft work fueled by their musical and environmental influences. The band has released the aforementioned ‘Forest Dweller’ and single ‘Meeting on the Astral Plane’ as of March 2016. Live, the band pays attention to the sonic experience with complimentary rhythm that creates a unique blend of intensity and atmosphere.
One is able to catch a glimpse of each influence in Vow of Thorns songwriting and their influences including Woods of Ypres, Agalloch, Drudkh, Opeth, Daylight Dies, and Wolves in the Throne Room. The band is on a journey that slowly takes on darker, lucid, and more despairing elements as they play more shows and write more records.Vow of Thorns is always developing sinister and near-unstable black metal blanketed by an entrancing shroud. The band is currently gearing up to release their next album and first full-length ‘Farewell To The Sun’ slated for July 15, 2016.
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