Sol Invictus
Thrones

"Thrones" is certainly not among the most successful albums by Sol Invictus. However, it wouldn't be fair to blame Tony Wakeford for not at least trying. By trying, I mean, to revolutionize his creation a bit, which has been trapped in a rigid stylistic immobility for ages.

It's a pity that the experiments attempted here are not always convincing; indeed, at times, they irritate the nervous system so much this album appears to have no head or tail, as if Wakeford had suddenly lost his compass, as well as the inspiration of his golden days.

A few timid steps in this direction were sketched in the previous, not very exciting, "The Hill of Crosses"; and precisely from certain episodes of that album (the mind especially goes to the candid jazz-noir of "December Song"), the journey of the tireless Wakeford seems to start again, who, after ups and downs and a series of carbon-copy albums, decides to unleash his most repressed urges in 2002, after a long 15-year abstinence!, and to color the peculiar apocalyptic folk of his Sol Invictus with the fresh hues of musical genres that are part of his rich cultural background, such as jazz, blues, and the progressive rock of the seventies.

From the structural standpoint, "Thrones" presents itself as one of the most complex and well-structured albums of Wakeford's career, with a whole series of references between the first and second parts of the work.

Thus, the album begins with a disorienting sequence of instrumental episodes, where here and there we find the stabs of a transverse flute in typical Jethro Tull style, or more twilight moments dictated by real jazzy tempos, complete with a sly trumpet, bass, and drums.

In this first part, it's hard to get enthusiastic; the suggestions are many and very discordant among themselves and, above all, distant from what is the typical sound of Sol Invictus: moreover, the few sung tracks suffer from messed-up evolutions and quite anonymous choruses ("Do and Say" and "Then He Killed Her").

Ultimately, the album suffers from a sense of imbalance in favor of a second part that manages to be more convincing, taking up the themes of the first part and developing them in a song format that at times can resurrect the good old days.

The electronic piece "In God We Trust" acts as a watershed. But I wonder: why, once the intention to elevate the sound through contamination with cultured genres is made clear, resurrect the industrial noise in this piece, which indeed seems out of place? The track, mostly penalized by a somewhat anonymous vocal performance, manages to save itself in extremis thanks to an engaging trumpet solo by Eric Roger, epic to the cube with a scent of Ennio Morricone.

We agree, however, that the sporadic flashes of genius from the excellent musicians who have been accompanying Wakeford for almost a decade (primarily the sensational violinist Matt Howden) are no longer enough to confer dignity to a product whose foundations are undermined by a discouraging compositional flaccidity. Also, because as much as Roger and Howden are skillful, they too start to tire, since their feats, after several albums, end up becoming irremediably predictable and redundant if not inspired by a sterile mannerism.

So what to save from "Thrones"? The good intentions, certainly, and a handful of tracks that, in the end, know how to entertain, like "The Thrill is Gone", a so-called cover of a classic from the blues tradition, here amused by the sweet warblings of Sally Doherty (Saint Immediately!!!), or old-style pieces like "Driftwood Thrones" and "No Gods".

But the true gem of the album is the concluding "In a Blink of a Star", a poignant ballad that can boast a finally heartfelt refrain, enriched by Howden’s melancholic violin flourishes and a vocal interpretation that, despite its simplicity, is capable of evoking the most inspired Sol Invictus. A moment that leaves a good taste in the mouth, pushing one to listen to the album again: an album which, although unhandsome, ultimately turns out to be more amiable and certainly of a higher stature than the previous "The Hill of Crosses", cowardly as well as dull.

"Thrones" will also mark the end of an era in Sol Invictus's career, now in such a state of artistic deterioration as to require the urgent intervention of a vital injection. Following its release, the historic lineup will begin to crumble: Howden and Doherty will soon abandon ship, while Roger and Blake, still present in the subsequent "Devil's Steed" (a convincing return to more typical sounds for the band), will leave, leaving Wakeford alone once more but in a position to regenerate himself through collaboration with new brilliant partners; one name above all, the crazy and visionary jester Andrew King, who, first participating in Wakeford's solo album “Into the Woods” and then constituting a mainstay of the successful project The Triple Tree, will prove to be a solid and valuable point of support on which the revived Wakeford can attempt the leap for his artistic rebirth.

Bitter is swallowed, but we move forward: Tony Wakeford's desperate crusade against the world has not yet reached the terminus.