Album/EP

Thornhill - The Dark Pool (Album Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

/10

Oct 20, 2019

7 min read

Thornhill - The Dark Pool
Released: October 25th, 2019

Lineup

Jacob Charlton - Vocals
Ethan McCann - Guitar
Matt Van Duppen - Guitar
Ben Maida - Drums
Nick Sjogren - Bass

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The colourful lads of Thornhill are back with their long-awaited debut album. Having already had a massive year in 2019 by playing at Brisbane's Heaven and Hell tour (our coverage here), supporting Beartooth on their tour around the nation as well as their own Australia wide headline tour, they still found the time to write a quality record, which I find impressive.

The album begins with 'Views From The Sun' which starts with an atmospheric electronic tone which turns into a thicker guitar riff. With a catchy chorus which seems to be an opportunity for vocalist Jacob Charlton to show if his high range with his clean vocals. This is an almost perfect introductory song as it draws you in and gives you a snippet of what you will experience as you go deeper into the record. The second single released from the album, 'Nurture' kicks off with a heavy drum presence and a captivating guitar riff. As Jacob Charlton constantly switches from his angelic clean vocals to his hard-hitting unclean vocals, it seems as if he can do no wrong. With a hard-hitting breakdown towards the end of the song, there is something to keep everyone happy in this masterpiece.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OBUyhNmIRc&w=640&h=360]

'The Haze' has a long intro, with a heavy guitar undertone, until Jacob's vocals are introduced where the instrumentals play on a lighter note. This track proves this band has the ability to play on both ends of the spectrum and make it work ever so nicely. With no unclean vocals or continuous heavy instrumentals, this track provides a comfortable listening experience which I simply cannot fault. 'Red Summer' begins with electronic tones which eventuates into a fast drum beat and seems to continue from where 'The Haze' left off, a slower, softer sound which doesn't take away from the quality of the song in any way.

'In My Skin' starts with Jacob's enchanting vocals singing slowly before the instrumentals begin and the pace is picked up. This song has quite a fun, upbeat guitar riff which is climactic in every sense. With a guitar solo towards the end of the song, this piece offers quite a lot. 'All The Light We Don't See' is the albums slowest and shortest offering. It doesn't give us anything unique to the rest of the album and almost carries through the same soft and slow approach we see in 'Red Summer' and 'The Haze'. This track may be a nice interlude for the album but doesn't offer anything new. 'Lily & The Moon' instantly punches the record back into fifth gear with its intricate fast-paced guitar riffs and drum beat. This band is well known for their incredibly catchy chorus', and this song is no different. Lasting at 4:01 this song is full of twists and turn I didn't see coming. This piece is easily a standout song in this album.

The album's first single, 'Coven' begins with an instrumental intro which instantly drew me in to pay every part of my attention to this piece the first time I heard it. This is another example of his vocalist Jacob shows off his range, and rightly so as he has a talent that deserves to be heard. The way the instrumentals mesh together to create this incredibly tight and flowing sound is exceptional. 'Human' starts with a slow drum beat before the guitar riffs explode into a fast and hard-hitting intro. This is a song which is unique and stands out on the record as the tempo of the song is inconsistent but flows perfectly, something that is rarely seen in today's scene. With an extended outro, I really didn't want this song to end.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJKd8P9duPM&w=560&h=315]

'Netherplace' is a slow, instrumental piece which somehow really provoked my emotions in some way, or maybe I was sad the album is nearly finished. Either way, this 'album filler' for lack of a better term sees the introduction of a piano which mixes things up. 'Where We Go When We Die' finishes the album off on a heavy note, the intro is compelling in every meaning of the word. With a heavy breakdown just over halfway through the song It somehow incorporates pieces of each song played before it on this album and left me wishing there were more songs to be played.

I'm not afraid to say that Thornhill has created a masterpiece here. This debut album is full of songs with each generally offering something new and exciting. This album is set to exceed expectations throughout the entire music industry.