Wolves in the Throne Room : "Estuary"

This time they are not getting attuned to nature but going post-apocalyptic. This finds the title track opening the album with less atmosphere than usual and a rawer, more confrontational sound. This leads them tat times sounding more like other American Black Metal bands. There is none of the Cascadian element that finds things welling to a lush sonic peak. This leads to them writing more compact songs rather than sprawling out well over the ten-minute mark. Only one song comes close to hitting the ten-minute mark.. They are a little darker on "Knights of Taimat," but it is also more blasty from the get-go. The keyboards creep in a little more as things progress. Midway into this one, things get more melodic, which helps save the song and create more dynamics. Lower death metal growls come in more frequently, though the darker sonics create a great mood.

"Foretold in Reflections" is six seconds shy of hitting the ten-minute mark; a minute of that extra time is invested in the intro. Double bass flows over the initial riff before they merge with atmosphere, while, not like their earlier work, it finds them doing things on their own terms. There is more of a hypnotic throb that develops here. It has an almost doomy sound as they churn at a more deliberate pace, which also accounts for this being a longer song. Midway into the song, things break down into ambient synth as the drums take on a more ominous march. This all seems to be a pretty decent investment of time, so I can't complain about this too much. 

"The Orca Cliffs" is closer to their grandiose swell sounds, with a flurry of racing drums moving rapidly under it. This takes you back to the harrowing sonics that trace back to bands like Weakling. It slows into a more sweeping swath of shimmering tremolo. They have proven they can play this style of black metal. 'Ghosts Among the Obelisks" has a more haunting sound to it that carries a ghostly melody. Double bass kicks things more into motion as the metallic snarl possesses the song. It's almost like the song sticks to the melodic theme, and the drums shift under it, stepping on the gas. This is one of the best drumming performances on any of their albums. 

The last starts off with the kind of angry storm that would not be uncommon on a 1349 album. They really race into this one at full throttle. It is well done for what it is, and shows they are legit black metal if they want to be. This is certainly a angrier, more metal album; if you have been a black metal purist who thought these guys were too hipster for you, then perhaps this album will provide the needed argument otherwise. I will give this album a 9.5; for now, it will take a few more listens for me to fully digest it despite being more straightforward in its attack. It drops October 26th.

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