heavy-metal-darkness: Warcoe | Upon Tall Thrones

Thursday, September 4, 2025

Warcoe | Upon Tall Thrones | Ripple Music

Formed in Pesaro, Italy in 2021, Warcoe have quickly risen from the underground with their self-described “groovy doom from the abyss.” Drawing from the legacy of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Trouble, and Saint Vitus, the trio’s sound is heavy, dark, and riff-driven, carried by Stefano’s vocals and guitar, Carlo’s low-end bass rumble, and Francesco’s weighty drumming. Their debut “The Giant’s Dream” (2021) was a raw introduction, while “A Place For Demons” (2023) earned acclaim and secured them a strong place in the modern doom scene. Now, with their third album and Ripple Music debut “Upon Tall Thrones”, Warcoe step deeper into their craft with an even darker and heavier presence.

“Upon Tall Thrones” runs through nine songs that feel cut from the same cursed stone yet each marked with its own character. “Octagon” opens with heavy, circling riffs that immediately cast a ritualistic atmosphere, while “The Wanderer” drives forward with a steady, pounding momentum. The title track, “I’ve Sat Upon Tall Thrones (But I’ll Never Learn),” stands as a declaration of Warcoe’s lyrical fascination with power, downfall, and human frailty, carried on riffs that feel both massive and mournful. “Gather In The Woods” and “Flame In Your Hand” lean into hypnotic instrumental repetition, pushing the listener deeper into Warcoe’s world, before “Spheres” lifts the album into a more haunting, otherworldly register.

As the second half unfolds, the weight only grows. “Deepest Grave” is exactly what its title suggests: slow, crushing, and suffocating. “Brown Witch” twists its riffs into something both eerie and threatening, while closer “Dark Into Light” moves with a finality that feels less like release and more like a sealing of fate.

Across the album, Warcoe’s sound is thick, raw, and steeped in doom’s classic spirit, yet delivered with a freshness that makes the songs alive and memorable. The riffs are heavy, the bass rattles like stone walls, and the vocals cut through with an unfiltered honesty. It’s an album that feels like being dragged through shadows and flames, with each track adding to the weight until the closing moments.

With “Upon Tall Thrones”, Warcoe proves they are no passing name in the scene. It’s a strong, immersive release that will satisfy long-time doom devotees and those who crave dark, riff-filled heaviness with a touch of mystic storytelling.

Score: 7.5