![News Added May 11, 2016 Sometimes the way you first experience an album is everything. Back in 2013, after finally returning from an extended work trip where I had limited internet access (and thus, no ability to hear new metal releases), Thränenkind’s The Elk took my deprived ears by storm with its Agallochian mix of […]](https://hasitleaked.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Cover-9-320x320.jpg "Thränenkind : King Apathy")
Sometimes the way you first experience an album is everything. Back in 2013, after finally returning from an extended work trip where I had limited internet access (and thus, no ability to hear new metal releases), Thränenkind’s The Elk took my deprived ears by storm with its Agallochian mix of weepy post-rock and crusty post-black metal. After months of only listening to whatever -core was stored on my iPod at the time, I was captivated, and the German quintet’s debut ended up being one of my favorite albums that year. Three years later sees me in an entirely different set of circumstances: working an exhausting job I hate in a city I hate even more, mashing buttons through life and trying to maintain some semblance of humanity. It’s fitting that this mindset seems to be just the theme of Thränenkind’s sophomore effort King Apathy. Vastly improving on its already excellent predecessor, Apathy effectively blends post-rock, post-metal, crust, and black metal in a tightly wound 46 minutes that depicts the struggle of remaining an emotional being in a society that seems more inclined to press us into dead-eyed, clock-punching drones. The result, frankly, is one of the strongest and most emotionally gripping albums I’ve heard in years.
