Thanateros – On Fragile Wings (Album – Echozone)
Genre/Influences: Goth-Metal, Folk.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Set up and driven by singer Ben Richter, German formation Thanateros has been active for more than twenty years. After a long hibernation they struck back in 2019 with the “Insomnia”-album. Three years later they unleashed their latest opus which also is the first one released by Echozone.
Content: Thanateros deals with a perfect mix of Metal- and Goth music with a very own Folk touch on top. The music sounds pretty German-like although this band prefers singing in English. The songs are extremely powerful, featuring carrying choruses.
+ + + : The main strength of this band and their new album is hiding in the complementarity between the heavy guitar riffs and the sensitive, melodic violin playing. There’s a perfect balance which is mixing power and refinement; harshness and sensibility. “Black Forest Calling” is the ultimate example of this sonic symbiosis. I also like the production of the vocals expressing passion and emotion. It feels also cool to hear this kind of band singing in English.
– – – : The few ‘softer’ songs aren’t my favorite ones although injecting a break.
Conclusion: “On fragile Wings” is a powerful exposure between different music genres which will mainly appeal to lovers Goth-Metal music.
Best songs: “Black Forest Calling”, “On The Barricades”, “Source Of It All”, “We Are The Ravens”.
Rate: 7½.
Listen to “On Fragile Wings”:
Artist: www.thanateros.net / www.facebook.com/thanateros.music
Label: www.echozone.de / www.facebook.com/EchozoneMusic
About Thanateros
Thanateros is a German gothic folk metal band led by singer Ben Richter. Richter recorded a demo under the name in 1999, left his previous band on the strength of the response and had a full Thanateros line-up in place by the beginning of 2001.
The debut album “The First Rite” came out on Andromeda in 2001, followed by “Circle Of Life” in 2003, “Dirty Old Town” in 2005 and “Liber Lux” on New Crusade Records in 2009. The band split at the start of 2010 and reformed in 2019, returning that September with “Insomnia”.
“On Fragile Wings” was released on 25 March 2022 and is the band’s first album for Echozone. The same label issued “Tranceforming” and the single “I Am All” in 2024.
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