| Stream from the Heavens | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Thergothon | ||
| Released | 1994 | |
| Recorded | October - November 1992 | |
| Genre | Funeral Doom Metal | |
| Length | 40:48 | |
| Label | Avantgarde Music | |
| Producer | Thergothon | |
| Thergothon chronology | ||
| Fhtagn nagh Yog-Sothoth (1991) |
Stream from the Heavens (1994) |
|
Stream from the Heavens is the only studio album by Finnish funeral doom/death metal band Thergothon released in 1994 by the Italian record label Avantgarde Music.
Musical style[]
Stream from the Heavens is considered the first funeral doom metal album in history, as well as one of the greatest milestones of the genre. The album proposed sounds that had never been heard before and were completely unclassifiable which, combined with an extremely lo-fi production, led to the failure of the album, which in fact had almost no market. The band broke up before its release. Over time it has become one of the top cult albums of underground music.
With bands like Winter or Paradise Lost, doom metal was influenced by death metal, evolving towards extreme shores. The first Thergothon demo, Fhtagn nagh Yog-Sothoth, though already peculiar, can be included in a form of death-doom and already contains the general ideas that will form Stream from the Heavens. However in the album the music completely changes style: the songs expand to reach times of a slowness previously unimaginable, the sound is absolutely personal and very atmospheric, the classic growl turns into an almost unintelligible, cold and distant grunt.
The texts, influenced by the stories of H.P. Lovecraft, evoke images that are vague and elusive: uninhabited worlds, solitary towers, guardians who watch over something unknown, mystical visions. There are no references to concrete facts or to personal emotions, nevertheless the melodies and atmospheres are often melancholy and nostalgic, as well as dark and anguished.
Stream from the Heavens has been considered to be a pioneering album in the funeral doom genre, inspired numerous bands, especially Skepticism and Funeral who also had a hand in pioneering the sub-genre. Stream From The Heavens has been highly regarded by several publications. Stream would rank #6 on Loudwire's "Top 25 Doom Metal Albums of All Time",[1] would be listed on Treble Zine's "Top 10 Essential Doom Metal Albums",[2] Louder Sound's "Top 10 Essential Doom Metal Albums"[3] and #9 on Decibel Magazine's "Top 100 Doom Metal Albums of All Time".[4]
Track listing[]
- 1. Everlasting (6:07)
- 2. Yet The Watchers Guard (8:56)
- 3. The Unknown Kadath in The Cold Waste (3:49)
- 4. Elemental (9:18)
- 5. Who Rides The Astral Wings (7:56)
- 6. Crying Blood + Crimson Snow (4:42)
Personnel[]
- Niko "Skorpio" Sirkiä – Keyboards, Vocals, Artwork, Design
- Mikko Ruotsalainen – Guitar, Keyboards
- Jori Sjöroos – Guitar, Keyboards, Drums, Vocals
- K. Sirkiä - Cover Artwork, Photography
- Markus Patrikainen - Recording, Engineering, Mixing, Mastering