It’s been a real movement for us to understand who will come to carry the torch of heavy metal in the future. Not so much the entirety of metal but rather the style of heavy metal itself where we’re seeing the bands we’ve come to revere getting on in age with us slowly coming to the reality that they will have to someday throw in the towel. So, it’s been a real trip to see who will continue to bring glory to the style the likes of which we can easily rally behind and we’ve found great solace and satisfaction out of younger acts like Visigoth, but we shouldn’t forget bands who have already been with us for decades but, obviously, not nearly as long as many of the legends. Ram perfectly fits that description as they’ve been going strong for twenty years now, and it’s with their newest onslaught they show no signs of slowing down.

It pains me to admit that Ram is a name that I’ve known for a few years now but, like many other deserving names, I’ve never actually sat down and listened to. The Swedes have had a very attractive resume given their dedication to the scene and numerous offering to the style that they’ve always delivered in utmost style. And yet, somehow, it’s taken me this long to actually listen to them as it’s with “The Throne Within” that I finally fixed my problem and holy shit I should’ve started listening sooner! The cover might not be the most interesting in the world, but rest assured that Ram has created a record that’s not to be scoffed at whatsoever as it could easily be called the most grandiose work of heavy metal that 2019 is to get! Many works could boast such a thing if they dared but it’s only through immense expertise and grand talent that “The Throne Within” accomplishes it within the first three tracks with the remainder continuing to deliver more greatness at every single turn. Not one misstep is taken throughout these nine tracks as we see classic tropes of the genre coming around while Ram doesn’t allow those same tropes to restrict their sound as everything on display here is has so much volume and quality to it that “The Throne Within” should be hailed from top to bottom for the outrageously awesome time that it is! There are riffs and melodies for days, but Ram doesn’t rely on them too much in order to do the heavy lifting whereas their tremendous songwriting and diversity amongst the songs are shockingly potent no matter what angle their viewed from. It would be virtually impossible to hear everything “The Throne Within” has to offer with Ram cramming so much glory into the record, and that’s the cherry on top for what makes this record so grand as it keeps you coming back to hear what you missed before because on every proceeding spin you discover something awesome before that can be enjoyed to the fullest from then on.

Such talent and competence don’t come in just a few records or deep passion in whatever style you’re playing even though it does help a great deal, and it’s through sheer time and perseverance that Ram has climbed to the peak of modern heavy metal as we know it with this album. So much of what we’ve come to love about the genre and all the hope we have for its future is, without doubt, in good hands if we’re to continue to get masterworks like “The Throne Within” that should and will be heard for years upon years.

“The Throne Within” releases on September 13th!

PRE-ORDER “The Throne Within” via multiple sources here.

LISTEN to singles from “The Throne Within” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Ram on Facebook here.