Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.
“The Song of Desolation” is a haunting, powerful, and intoxicatingly dramatic album of songs, like a death-defying, pyrotechnic Phantom of the Opera. Heard from 40,000 ft, this could be mistaken for another trendy act attempting to ride Nightwish’s Symphonic Metal train, but with patience and a genuine listen, the brilliance of Thy Despair’s record becomes apparent. The dual lead vocals dance in the Beauty and the Beast tradition of Draconian, with Elin’s angelic voice juxtaposed against Guitarist/Vocalist Nephilim’s guttural growls. Thy Despair’s contemporary, Eleine, has a similar approach and style, which could get confusing.

It was a bold move to begin the record with back-to-back buildup songs. Both track 1 and track 2, “The Free One” and “Sabbath,” respectively, require the climactic payoff for full appreciation; both ask you to check your Attention-Deficit Disorder and let the songs play out, to fully enjoy the. . . hey, what were we talking about?
Lush, beautiful songwriting and instrumentation lead to symphonic highs. I’ve made the Draconian comparison, but this is a bit less Doom than that, more lofty, more cinematic. Loveliness and brutality intertwined.
By the way, lead vocalist Elin is also credited as designing the album art.