New Risen Throne – The Journey To Reach The Fathers (Digital/CD Album – Cyclic Law)
Gabriele Panci has been releasing music under his sonic alter ego, New Risen Throne, for over 20 years. 2025 has been a particularly prolific year, marked not only by the release of this new opus but also by several collaborations, including the outstanding album with Phragments.
On this new work, the Italian artist explores what happens after death. It is a spiritual quest meticulously transformed into his signature blend of Cinematic Dark-Ambient and Ritual music. The atmosphere Panci brings to life is obscure, at times eerie, yet ultimately soothing — a composition progressively built through numerous layers of sound, subtle effects, field recordings, and the occasional use of deep vocal textures. Icy strings reverberate in the background, as if accompanying the opening of the gates to the afterlife. Drone-like percussive elements occasionally emerge, transforming the whole into a genuine Ritual experience, allowing the listener to contemplate it in solitude and introspection.
For me, New Risen Throne stands among the major artists of the 21st century within the Dark-Ambient and Cinematic realms. This new work simply confirms his remarkable artistic mastery. (Rating:8½).
Listen to “Gate III”:
About New Risen Throne
New Risen Throne is the solo project of Italian musician Gabriele Panci, active since the 1990s in dark-ambient and drone and also known for the Konau project. He released the first New Risen Throne album more than twenty years ago and has since built an extensive discography, with recent work issued through Cyclic Law. In 2025 he released “The Journey To Reach The Fathers” as a solo work, collaborated with Phragments on “Between Ecstasy And Death”, and contributed to Cryo Chamber’s “Tombs” series. Panci discussed the album and his 2025 output in a Side-Line interview.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
