Sun of the Dying - A Throne Of Ashes

Labels: AOP Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 21 Nov 2025

Tracklist:

1. Martyrs

2. Black Birds Beneath Your Sky

3. With Wings Aflame

4. The Greatest Of Winters

5. The House Of Asterion

6. Of Absence

I seriously need to do something about my inbox, but that's for another day! When I chose to write about the newest full-length from Spanish doom-death band Sun of the Dying, I had no idea it had been six years since their previous release The Earth Is Silent, which I wrote about back in December 2019. In cooperation with long time supporters AOP Records, Sun of the Dying have released A Throne Of Ashes on CD and vinyl formats, as well as digitally.

I find that I can listen to pretty much any genre of metal at any time of the year, but listening to doom-death on a dark/cold December night makes the experience even greater. Sun of the Dying open their newest album with the majestic ‘Martyrs’, which is filled with soaring gothic-like melodies and passages of searing death metal. I could draw on many comparisons here from both Scandinavia and the UK, but I’m not going to. It’s better that this music is allowed to stand alone.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that after such a melodramatic opener, Sun of the Dying would perhaps move in a more uptempo direction given the shorter length of ‘Black Birds Beneath Your Sky’; instead, they present a more minimalistic approach during the verses, which is punctuated by melodic choruses and heaviness that’s joined by choral brightness. 

This release contains boat loads of musical maturity, as the guitars, percussion and keys demonstrate throughout. ‘With Wings Aflame’ is beautifully symphonic early on and the mix of Eduardo Guilló’s deep melodic tones/harsh growls and the clean vocals of guest Antinoë seem to elevate the song and Sun of the Dying’s sound further as it progresses. 

This sextet has mastered the art of throwing the listener off the scent when it comes to musical direction, as ‘The Greatest Of Winters’ highlights. From the fast, blasting intro to the doom-laden verses to follow; there’s no room for guessing what Sun of the Dying are gonna do next. What they do is inject the song with a breathy mix of introspection and death metal ferocity all rolled into one cohesive package. The keys towards the end are absolutely beautiful too.

Penultimate song ’The House Of Asterion’ is heavy right from the off but once again, Sun of the Dying lull you into a false sense of security (for those of you who prefer your doom-death leaning more towards death metal), as they drop back into another loverly melodic passage soon after. Some might say that their song-writing and structure is traditional in one sense, but at the same time there’s an unexpected nature to it as well. The mix of gothic gloom, downtempo heaviness and orchestral unease accentuates that point.

Closing with ‘Of Absence’, Sun of the Dying have one more chance to explore their exquisitely melodic side, where keys and guitars rule over the drums as the harsh vocals enter the fray,. Thankfully, the vocals don’t overpower the music as a whole and add to what is a gloriously emotive song, filled with fantastic melodic elements.

This album is a beautiful body of work from a band that continue to forge their own path. The only genuine similarity I can draw on here would be Portuguese doom/death band Moonspell; however, Sun of the Dying in their own right need to be appreciated. Epic and thought-provoking in every sense.

You can purchase A Throne Of Ashes on all formats from Sun of the Dying below:-

Physical copies can also be ordered from AOP Records here - https://shop.aoprecords.de/gb/49-sun-of-the-dying.

Sun of the Dying - https://www.facebook.com/SunofTheDying

AOP Records - https://www.facebook.com/aoprecs