Album Review: Hecate Enthroned – The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried (M-Theory Audio)

Hecate Enthroned are back with The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried, their new album, due out on the 29th of May via M-Theory Audio.

Hecate Enthroned have been part of the UK extreme metal underground since the mid-90s, emerging from Wales during the same broader wave that helped shape the country’s symphonic black metal identity. Early comparisons to their contemporaries came from their use of keyboards, cold atmospherics and melodic undercurrents, though beneath that they always carried a heavier, more death-leaning edge.

Their breakthrough came in 1997 with The Slaughter of Innocence, a Requiem for the Mighty, followed by Dark Requiems… and Unsilent Massacre, both of which helped establish their early reputation within the orchestral black metal movement. Over time, the band shifted away from dense symphonic layering into a more direct blend of black and death metal, a direction that has defined their more recent output.

The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried is their first new material since 2019, arriving via M-Theory Audio and continuing that streamlined, hard-hitting approach. Self-produced and mixed and mastered by Dan Abela (Akercocke, Bleed From Within, Anaal Nathrakh), it pairs a sharper modern edge with the band’s underlying sense of atmosphere.

Speaking about the new album, the band state:

“Our first release since 2019, these are huge, epic, hard-hitting songs carved in the traditional Hecate Enthroned way with a menacing veil delivered with a crisp punch. Lyrically based around ancient British myths and legends.”

Hecate Enthroned is Joe Stamps on vocals, Nige Dennan and Andy Milnes on guitars, Dylan Hughes on bass, Pete White on piano/keyboards and Matt Holmes on drums.

Adar Rhiannon acts as an atmospheric introduction to the album, setting the scene through layers of effects, keys and orchestration that gradually build in both volume and intensity. It’s more of a mood piece than a full song, designed to draw the listener in before closing on whispered words that lead directly into the next track.

Spirits Stir Within Our Ancestors Tombs opens with real force and is a strong early statement from Hecate Enthroned. Huge, booming sound immediately hits, layered and rich, before a huge scream pulls you straight in. The combination of guitars, keys and drums creates something dark but still strangely beautiful, before the track erupts into full black metal intensity. Fast riffs, blasting drums and harsh vocals take over, with melodic layers constantly weaving through to add depth.

Vocally, there’s a lot of variation too — still rooted in black metal aggression, but shifting between deeper gutturals, higher screams and barked delivery. As a longer track, it has space to breathe and shift, moving through different transitions and orchestral changes, before dropping into a stretched-out slowdown. Acoustic guitar, subtle percussion and keys take over, joined by lead melody that builds a hypnotic, almost trance-like section. From there, it gradually rebuilds back into heavier territory, before eventually easing out on more gentle melodic tones.

The Arcane Golem carries a strong sense of atmosphere from the outset, with a rich guitar tone and a dark, almost looming feeling as if something is approaching. On the album, Hecate Enthroned lean into that balance between black metal aggression and symphonic layering particularly well here. The drums gradually intensify, bass lines rumble underneath, and the vocals hit with force. The vocals keep things rooted in a harsher traditional style while the instrumentation expands around them. There’s a noticeable groove at times, with a mid-tempo feel giving way to faster, more chaotic bursts. It’s a constantly shifting track, but never in a way that feels unfocused — instead it keeps momentum through variation in pace, vocal delivery and melodic emphasis.

Steed Of The Still Water is one of the more striking pieces on the record, leaning into a more folk-influenced and almost classical feel. Violins, orchestral elements and acoustic melodies dominate the opening section, with vocals sitting deeper in the mix to match the more reflective tone. It builds a genuinely hypnotic atmosphere before suddenly breaking away into heavier territory. The drums kick in hard, the bass shakes through the mix, and the guitars return with weight and aggression, though the emotional core of the track remains intact. A piano-led section offers a brief moment of space and contrast before everything folds back together again, blending heaviness with melody in a way that feels carefully controlled rather than chaotic.

Pwca continues that more atmospheric side of Hecate Enthroned’s writing, led in by keys and an atmospheric, slightly post-leaning melodic line that immediately sets a more reflective tone. There’s a sense of unease and beauty running through it, with whispered elements adding to the darker emotional edge. It’s a slower, more patient track on the album, but it never drifts into monotony. Instead, it constantly evolves, with layers being added and peeled back, shifting melodies and subtle changes in structure that keep it engaging throughout. It’s less about impact and more about immersion, drawing you deeper into the atmosphere the band have built across the record.

Dark and morose tones lead us in softly and patiently before Deathless In The Dryad Glade is shaken from its calm by a violent eruption of brutality. This is heavy stuff. The drums are moving at speed, the bass is pounding and the riffs are hammering through with force. Vocals begin with screams that shift into yells and sharper bursts, adding to the chaos. There is still a symphonic backing running throughout, keeping depth and atmosphere at the forefront even in the most brutal moments.

The pace lets up slightly later in the track, settling just enough to allow the orchestral elements to breathe, but the heaviness and darkness never fully dissipate. The drums become more rhythmic, the vocals deepen, and the guitars lock in with the keys and symphonic layers to offer brief respite before the track once again shifts back into brutality and bleakness to close out one of the more direct moments on the album.

The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried continues its relentless pace with A Gallery Of Rotting Portraits, which kicks straight in with fire and fury. Very black metal, very direct, with deep bellowed vocals, powerful riffs and impressive drums going straight for the jugular. The back and forth vocal approach continues to stand out here, almost acting like additional instruments within Hecate Enthroned’s sound rather than just a front-facing delivery. Symphonic elements weave in and out of the traditional instrumentation, before a mid-section change brings in a stop-start rhythm that shifts between riffs and orchestration. A strong groove takes hold at this point before the track pushes back into heavier, more atmospheric territory through to the close.

After a run of more direct heaviness, The Boreal Monastery slows things down slightly, adding a softer, more melancholic edge that keeps atmosphere and authenticity at the forefront. Layers of melody and subtle background effects create a hypnotic, immersive feel, drawing you in and letting the track breathe. That calm is eventually broken by an eruption of black metal force and orchestral weight. The balance here between brutality and atmosphere is handled well, with vocals, drums, guitars, keys and bass all working together to create something dense and engaging. As the track progresses, it shifts between extremes — fast and fiery in one moment, then pulling back into more spacious, melodic sections the next. As it nears its end, it returns once more to that softer opening mood, bringing the dynamic full circle.

Into A Vale Of Endless Snow closes the album by immediately ramping up intensity. Fast, tight riffs and driving drums lead the charge while the vocals alternate between barking and screaming delivery. The orchestral layer remains present throughout, sitting underneath the aggression to keep the tone rich and cohesive, reinforcing the sense of a singular journey through an ancient, myth-driven world. Even at its most intense, the track refuses to stay static. Orchestral elements step forward and recede, lead melodies rise and fall, and the vocal performance continues to shift between styles, keeping momentum strong throughout. It closes in an appropriately epic fashion, with orchestration swelling before fading back down into a melodic reprise of Adar Rhiannon, neatly bringing The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried full circle.

The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried is a dense, atmospheric and consistently engaging return from Hecate Enthroned. Blending symphonic depth with blackened aggression and death metal weight, the album never loses its sense of atmosphere or identity, delivering a confident and fully realised record from a band that still know how to deliver.

Track List

1 – Adar Rhiannon

2 – Spirits Stir Within Our Ancestors Tombs

3 – The Arcane Golem

4 – Steed Of The Still Water

5 – Pwca

6 – Deathless In The Dryad Glade

7 – A Gallery Of Rotting Portraits

8 – The Boreal Monastery

9 – Into A Vale Of Endless Snow

Hecate Enthroned Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | M-Theory Audio