It comes as no surprise listening to this sorrow-drenched follow-up to Thränenkind’s 2013 debut full-length The Elk that their name translates to ‘child of tears’.
Branching across what many would call post-black metal territories, while once more wading into hardcore realms, King Apathy is an exercise in mid-paced melancholia from the Germans, a pervading sadness that cries of anguish and disgust at the world and is given voice throughout the blackened tremolo attack of tracks such as Desperation and the stomp of King Apathy.
It’s a melancholy that’s tinged with an uplifting, haunted beauty, however, as the restrained instrumentals during Ghosts attests, and it’s during these moments of more wistful introspection that Thränenkind are at their best. For many, though, hardcore moments during the likes of Urban Giants, along with the gravel-throated vocal approach of Nils Groth, may prove jarring enough to neuter those moments of melody – for everyone else, this will prove a fine addition to Thränenkind’s already solid body of work.
