Thou Art Lord –The Regal Pulse of Lucifer
The Regal Pulse of Lucifer doesn’t merely suggest monarchical tendencies. An album title that brazen hammers all that encompasses royalty into your skull with a ferocity no longer found amongst the sea of human offal we find ourselves drowning in on a daily basis. And with a Greek Black Metal bloodline as pure as this one, comprised of current and former members of Rotting Christ, Necromantia, and Soulskinner, Thou Art Lord lay an absolutely legitimate claim to a crown belonging only to kings of the extreme scene. The band’s first release in eight years, consider The Regal Pulse of Lucifer the sonic standard bearer standing proudly at the front of Thou Art Lord’s procession amongst all that you love about classic Rotting Christ (ie, before their electro-weird wanderings) and Greek Black Metal, writ large. Deceptively simple/profoundly eerie keyboards; discernible, nigh-classic Metal guitar solos and harmonies; non-knuckle-dragging Thrash Metal riffs that inspire rather than grate; Black Metal tremolo and tri-tone conglomerations that are, in fact, evil, and not some paltry attempt to be; and vocals that switchback effortlessly from clear growls to harsh screams like the asphalt of the Nürburgring. A percussive spine connects all that bone-encircled Metal marrow together in the form of ‘new’ drummer Maelstrom, a supremely talented skin-peeler who knows how to employ tom- and cymbal-work to great effect; his embellishments are in equal measure skilled and quite memorable, and played with an aplomb that is inextricably woven within each track – sadly a rarity in many other underground Black Metal projects, as throwaway drumming is, in many cases, the norm.
Regal Pulse of Lucifer rises high above the mire of mediocrity for this writer, and I can envision worn grooves occurring all too soon in the vinyl rapidly approaching my doorstep. No doubt the foe-crushing quality of the album and the band itself can be attributed to a lineage established on their 1993 demo Cult of the Horned One (an absolute must-listen as well), and the fact that these individual forces in Metal conjoin infrequently, allowing for time and thought to coalesce Thou Art Lord’s sources of dark inspiration into music both provocative and lasting. Sometimes evil things do come to those who wait, and fan patience is being rewarded handsomely with this record and its substantial staying power. -Jim
Nuclear War Now! Productions
Worm Gear 
Yeah, it’s really cool to hear those old Rotting Christ Greek roots in these songs and then experience how much they’ve expanded on that template…excellent album.
That track sounds very good indeed, will investigate further!
Having heard the record twice now I totally agree, just ordered it from NWN! (who are having a summer sale by the way). I love the way the keys, the (indeed pretty classic) guitarwork and the varying vocal styles somehow create a Mercyful Fate/King Diamond vibe (at least to my ears). Really horrorstory-spooky and evil without ever getting cheesy.
Did you delete the Game of Thrones reference or did I read about that somewhere else…? That last track is great, although a bit hilarious because of the heavy accent in the spoken word part. But I guess it only adds to the drama hehe… That final riff is very addictive.
Haha, no, the Game of Thrones reference wasn’t me, but I’d like to read what that was about myself – glad you dug the album as well!
Fuck, I’m getting old… I thought I read it in your review?
Oh wait, I remember now:
http://autothrall.blogspot.nl/2013/05/thou-art-lord-regal-pulse-of-lucifer.html
Last paragraph. Mixed you up with Autothrall, sorry… Too much cold beers marinating my brain in the hot sun I guess…