Forest Metal is on the menu again. I don’t know what it is with the Bavarian and Austrian wooded areas. They seem to inspire a ton of Extreme Metal bands that bemoan their majestic landscapes and mystical origins. And I reckon that the album art again covers the essence of where this is going pretty well already. The pagan lore still seems to be firmly entrenched in the local populace over there. And that, even if the Holy Catholic Church tried to align the region to the cranky whims of the nailed god for too many centuries. Just look at the Christian fortresses they built all over the countryside. It’s truly impressive, how deep-rooted they are over there.1
And sure enough, Thorondir lay out a potpourri of sagas and legends on their latest concoction called Wächter des Waldes (guardians of the forest). The band hails from Waldsassen2, Bavaria, near the Czech border, by the way. And their metal truly centers around their wooden abode and its mystical, wild, pagan charm. Rübezahl, the old, grouchy omniscient jack-in-the-box, Bruder Hain with his scythe, or the goddess Perchta3 (and then some), they all make an appearance here. It is pretty impressive how far the band went to gather all those tall tales. And that probably confirms the genre-label ‘Pagan Metal’ often cited in earlier reviews. But you see, Pagan Metal ain’t a genre, same as Viking or Pirate Metal isn’t one. They are just indicators of where any band’s general mindset may lie.
In fact, Wächter des Waldes delivers some rock-solid, down-the-middle Atmospheric and Melodic Black Metal with remnants of Melodic Death sometimes peeking out of the soundstorm. That said, Thorondir‘s delivery sits somewhere in between Waldgeflüster, Finsterforst, and Varg. Only that the folk part here doesn’t really sync. There are only just a few hints here and there embedded in the garden-variety acoustics that pop up at times. The infamous circular songwriting trap snapped shut a few times too many, too. Meaning, at the beginning of most tracks, the band sets the main theme, which is then endlessly repeated. To their credit, they valiantly tried to break those endless loops up at times. But not to any great avail.
On the other hand, the record contains pretty much everything a Pagan Metal fan might wish for. Wächter des Waldes sports a mighty bite, fueled by majestic riffing and thunderous drumwork loud enough to wake Rübezahl for good. The relentless rasps of one Kevin Wienerl won’t leave your eardrums unscathed. In other words, you’ll find numerous grand soundscapes able to carry you to those mystical places they describe. On the flipside, Thorondir might have turned the loudness button up a few notches too many. And this leads to a somewhat monolithic delivery that tends to lose stuff at times. Or, where was that bass all the time? Difficult to discern in this mass of soundbites jockeying for attention. Said differently, on top of the repetition bug (fueled by the circular songwriting), the record also sports a wall of sound that can be overwhelming at times.
In the end, Wächter des Waldes surely isn’t a bad record. And the piece indeed boasts a wealth of unbridled power, which truly speaks in its favor. Thus, the adepts of Pagan Metal will find a lot to like in there. Furthermore, the piece’s sound will work well on stage. So well that the crowd might well go rogue with not one, but two moshpits. Well-paced metal delivered with gusto will carry the day. Let’s all go and see them live.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Trollzorn Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 9 October 2025