Review: Thy Kingdom Will Burn – The Loss And Redemption
Thy Kingdom Come have released two albums since 2021, but I’ve never heard of them before I encountered their new record: “The Loss and Redemption” is a solemn yet stirring journey through melodic death metal’s well-trodden but evergreen terrain. From its opening pulses, the album sets a tone of melancholic grandeur that feels familiar without becoming derivative. The melodic framework is polished and purposeful, crafting a mood that seeks to evoke both sorrow and resolve, but at times the polish leans too heavily into restraint, dimming the emotional spark.
Finnish roots are evident throughout. The band leans into mid-tempo swagger, occasionally punctuated by bursts of pace that hint at fire beneath the frost. Such shifts can surprise: the title track and its companion pieces breathe with atmospheric weight, anchored by melodic lines that recall but don’t simply mimic their melodic death metal forebears. Occasional synth and keyboard touches add texture without taking over, a tasteful seasoning that supports rather than overtakes the core riffs.
Yet the album’s structure sometimes betrays its own ambition. Several songs stretch toward five or six minutes, and the weight of it begins to show. Some compositions feel overlong, the arrangements folding into repetition rather than evolving. In places, transitions feel abrupt and mid-song mood shifts that jar rather than coalesce appear. These moments expose the album’s underlying tension between design and impact. It wants to be epic, but the scope occasionally overwhelms the narrative.
The shouter echoes this dichotomy in this work. There is range and conviction, the snarls and croons land with presence – but at times it appears more rehearsed than raw, more staged than immediate. The emotional center doesn’t always feel organically earned. Still, when the vocals lock into the melodic cores, the album’s grief-laden themes deliver haunting resonance.
The production is both album’s strength and soft underbelly. It shines with clarity and balance, every instrument has its place, and even the orchestral accents land crisply. But this sonic precision can mute the emotional entropy that melodic death metal thrives on. The surface glitters, yet the furnace beneath often plays out in tempered glow rather than raging flame.
In its better passages, the album achieves a brooding kind of poetry. There are moments when folk-colored guitar interludes, elegiac piano lines, and the thunder of drums converge into immersive melancholy. These moments reward immersion. But uneven pacing and occasional indulgence keep the album from reaching its potential heights.
“The Loss and Redemption” shows a band growing stronger in compositional ambition, carving out a voice that balances tradition with thematic reach. It’s a measured, sometimes beautiful record that honors its emotional palette without descending into chaos. It has passion, refinement, and willingness to wander into epic, sorrow-tinged terrain, but it also is holding back at its most dramatic turns. It’s a work that satisfies with empathy and craft, even if it doesn’t fully unchain the fire it carries.