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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Wolves in the Throne Room : "Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge"

 

The 9th studio release from the band finds them continuing down a more refined sonic path. From the first song it is evident the band's sense of dynamics remains intact . The intensity constricts into a metallic thrashing in equal portion to the more expansive dark pathways of sound they lead you through. There is a cool guitar melody that sits in the same space a guitar solo would, but approaches it from a much more melodic direction .At under 7 minutes it a fairly conservative journey when compared to some of the epic ground they have covered in the past.  I think the most powerful statement scaling things back to some capacity makes is refusing to write the same songs twice.

 They have been growing away from the confines of the black metal genre for sometime now. The vocals to "Twin Mouthed Spring" start with more of a whisper before lower growls couple it up. Then they break off into a more folk direction with acoustic guitars coming out. Just over midway into the son g they explode into the blast beats you might have been waiting, this is counterbalanced by the soaring melodies above it that are now what we think of as Cascadian black metal. I like they despite the shimmer there remains a strong sense of melancholy along with a darker vibe haunting the mood. 

"Initiates of the White Hart" opens with more of a neo - folk feeling. It basks in this atmosphere for the duration of the song, it is too complex of a melodic flow to consider how it hangs on the melody droning, but it does not progress in the expected fashion. Then the last track is an ambient passage that feels like something to meditate to rather than a fully formed song. Since I am a little disappointed that after the first two songs were so strong that they would piddle around with folk atmosphere for the second two songs, but even there are some interesting moods created, even if it is not what I would have preferred so I will give this album an 8. 

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The Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2021

In today's world we need the hateful nature of black metal more than ever. Here is the best of the current crop. As with years past I sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. I know many of you are ready for 2021 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but nothing is getting better next year. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. You can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list.  I listen to five new albums a day so yes, I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it. I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 Black Metal albums of 2021

10-Vried- "Wild North West" 

Their sound continued to evolve into the hookier almost rock-oriented sound they have now. Even clean singing crops up on the first song. Yes, there are blast beats and tremolo picked guitars so this is still very much black metal. It is my favorite kind of black metal as it is the kind that cares about song writing

Abysmal Hymns: Vried : " Wild North West"

9-Grima - " Rotten Garden"

 This German duo does atmospheric black metal right with a big powerful sound.  They are not shoe gazing but capture a similar sonic shimmer. The vocals are well layered with both low growls and higher more blackened shrieks. They do not live on blast beasts alone.

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month - Grima : "Rotten Garden"

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8-Ancient Wisdom - " a Celebration in Honor of Death" 

I see the words blackened doom on everything except when the band is actually playing a doom black metal hybrid like this project from Sweden is. Much like Burzum, this one-man band is helmed by Vargher from Naglfar The keyboards and atmosphere work really well here and this is a great example of you can have both a sound dialed in and still; care about writing a song. Yes, this kind of carries a drone to it and is more akin to a soundtrack track than pop hit, but that is ok

Abysmal Hymns: Ancient Wisdom : "A Celebration In Honor Of Death

 7-Sertraline : "The street light was all we needed"

This highly atmospheric band from New York has combined a bunch of EPS and is presenting them in this format. I am counting this as a 2021 album because these were all unknown until this point. They have plenty of grit and darkness set against the more sweeping sonics. The vocals are a lower snarl. They are dedicated to making very dynamic music and not the kind of black metal that settles for blast beats alone

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month -Sertraline : "The street light was all we needed"

 6-the Ruins of Beverast - "the Thule Grimoires" 

 In 2021 if you are going to do black metal then this is the way to do it. You can tell it is in fact black metal, but it is not so tied down to conforming to a certain time period that it is stagnant. In fact it is full of dark new sounds that really add to the songs

Abysmal Hymns: the Ruins of Beverast : " the Thule Grimoires"

 

5-the Flight of Sleipnir- "Eventide" 

Their 7th album finds them very confident in what they do. They have a knack for slowing things down while the vocals stay very caustic. It gives this a cold sound that black metal, needs which is why I tend to listen to it more in fall and winter. There is a great deal of very nuanced playing on this album. Some of the guitar work really goes above and beyond. Some black metal tends to take on an almost punk feel in the way the guitar is handled, so they are really bringing playing that stands up against any metal band to the table 

Abysmal Hymns: THE FLIGHT OF SLEIPNIR : " Eventide"

4-Wolves in the throne room- "Primordial Arcana"  

Their new album is beautifully true to who they are and have been as a band with black metal as the core of epic atmosphere and sweeping guitars. The vocals are scowled much in the same manner they were when I first heard them, for a band that has taken us many other places over the years I respect that. I am open for them to do whatever, that is within reason and stays true to the core of their nature worshipping mountain selves. They once again deliver.

Abysmal Hymns: Wolves in the Throne Room : "Primordial Arcana"

 

3-Plaguewielder - "Covenant Death" 

This album really grew on me. They have grown as both a band and songwriters now finding themselves in a realm of sonic darkness not unlike the place that Tombs invokes.  The rage and metallic battering ram they hit you with is not dulled by the creepy atmosphere the album is coated it. 

Abysmal Hymns: Plaguewielder : " Covenant Death"

2-Peste Noire- "Le retour de pastoureaux" 

This gang of French maniacs continues to spit in the face of expectations. At times abandoning black metal to be more progressive, but in a very crude and confrontational manner. They have punk attitude Now they have more of a punk thing going on but bring you back to the more refined anger of metal when you think they are going to bring in acoustic guitars and forget who they are. Creatively ambitious this was almost my number one pick, but their crude primal organic leanings might be emotive, but not a massive of a sound as the band who took the number one spot.  

Abysmal Hymns: Peste Noire : " Le retour des pastoureaux"

 

1- Noctambulist - " Eiegieen" 

This band from the Netherlands caught me by surprise hey can summon a scathing buzz of black metal, but are not limited to just that proving themselves more than capable of expanding the sonic horizons. They could fall into the black gaze sub-genre but are darker than most with more aggression in their song writing, they know when to let things simmer and when to roar back to life. This atmosphere contributes to the sparkling melodies that are layered in here. The album sounds great and is recorded in a manner that makes the most of their vision which is why they beat out Peste Noir for the top spot.

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month -Noctambulist -"Eiegieen"

Wolves in the Throne Room : "Primordial Arcana"

 I got onboard with these guys back in 2007, so there has been a great deal of fanfare and shifts since.  The opening track to their new album is beautifully true to who they are and have been as a band with black metal as the core of epic atmosphere and sweeping guitars. The vocals are scowled much in the same manner they were when I first heard them, for a band that has taken us many other places I respect that . I am open for them to do whatever, that is within reason and stays true to the core of their nature worshipping mountain selves. "Spirit of Lightning" does not go for the throat with it's melodic sway but it is still really well done . They do get around to blast beats a few minutes in though this is not a requirement for their songs to be a success. There is an interesting spaciousness to the production of this album. It is much more noted on this song than the first.  

Yes there is more atmosphere of a somewhat folky variety than your average black metal band, and they pretty much now have the market cornered on it in America with Agalloch no longer in the picture. With 'Through Eternal Fields " they come closer to what is the status quo for European Black Metal bringing an almost Summoning like scope to their sound which is much more primed for Middle Earth now. It might not be the most original thing , but they do such a good job of it I can not complain. The more deliberate riff that leads into "Primal Chasm" does more for me. There are lower more forceful vocals on that one. The drumming is also very impressive, the double bass is dialed in to the max. It took a second listen to wrap my head around the weird ambiance that prevails in "Underworld Aurora". There is a low croaking kind of singing and the give things more breathing room.

Two and a half minutes into "Masters of Rain and Storm" the remind you that they have not forgotten they are a metal band and understand that metal is very much about bringing the riffs in a big way. No matter how artful you are in your given genre , you have to at some point do this. It requires them to come down from their blast beats and stomp into the guitar. The do this not just once , but a few times over the course of this song. The three minute "Eostre" is really just an ambient interlude or in some versions of the album an outro, the last song on my version is "Skyclad Passage" so for the purpose of this review , is going to be treated as if it is the last song. Though that too proves to be a creepier version of an outro where they are wallowing around in some Coil like noise and ambiance. With that said I will give this album a 9.5 , when ever they decide to write songs which the so for the first five songs of the album, they excel and make one of the years better black metal albums.   

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Vouna : "s/t"

This project is driven solely by Yianna Bekris and is being released on Wolves in the Throne Room's label. My first impression based off the opening track is this is like a more depressed version of Myrkur. While there is a great deal of black metal tinged tremolo guitar we don't get to the more doom focused thick of the album until "Cattle". It's hinted at on the first song , but this is the first time she really commits. The melodies are languid with cleaner toned guitars laying against waves of mournful synths. It' very darkly romantic. It takes "Last Dream" almost half the song to sort through the ambiance and find it's way into the metallic guitars. The vocals are pretty sparse here. It builds into something more like Black gaze, which seems to be a theme with this album intersecting at where the more atmospheric forms of black metal and doom cross.

Things get more folky going into "Drowning City"  then they swell into folky doom, that gets dark and dense and really feels like something King Woman might do though without the blues under tones. "You Took Me" opens more dominated with synths and the drums very hesitant. I would argue that this is not funeral doom. It dark but not in an oppressive manner, and while beautiful at times it's not sonically intense enough to be funeral doom despite the lingering in the drums. "You Took Me" finds the main riff being droned against the repetitive melody of the vocals which begins to have more of a chant like quality despite carrying a hook.

While this album is doom , it carries a more subtle shade of gray. The vocals are not the strong point, but the song crafting is what keeps my interest in the way various layers crept over the shadowy dirges. I'll give this album an 8.5. As far as doom goes you gotta give them credit for not trying to go into a more vest metal direction and sticking to her vision.

Wolves in the Throne Room : 'Thrice Woven"

Normally when I review an album I write as I am sitting there listening to it for the first time. This is not the case here I have sat on this one for a few days. I can say Wolves in the Throne Room is back to a more unabashed embracing of black metal. In doing so this doesn't mean that are being enslaved to blast beats or ignoring some of the things from their more experimental leanings that have made them who they are . Six albums and fourteen years invested in this , they have a clear understanding as to who they want to be in the present moment and continue to invoked the feeling of their surroundings.  Sometimes you need to step away from it in order to gain perspective. This album owes more to Ulver and Darkthrone than it does Godspeedyoublackemperor!

The album opens with a calm before the storm as crystalline guitar rings out. They kind of black metal they burst into has a lighter feel to the intention it is being played with. The vocals are the most scathing part of it. The riffs eventually get as mean spirited as something Watain would do. This might be a reflect in their changing and more cynical attitudes toward the world changing around them.Then there is a jarring as as it drops out into female vocals. Very serene and siren like. Then a darker riffs evolves out of this interlude, with the female vocals floating in the background. When they sing about the old ones being with them on the following song there is a sense they are talking about the ancestral spirits of the land rather than some sort of Lovercraftian horror. The ominous sense is more one of enormity when facing a mountain rather than staring into an abyss. That earth based feeling is conveyed in the husky gravel of the more Tom Waits like narrative midway into the song that sounds like something Neurosis might do. "Angrboda" is a more straight forward blast drive charge of more traditional black metal. While this might bore me if it was another band, with these guys it's a welcome reminder than this is what they do. They do throw in bridges amid the blasts with a sonic twist to keep me interested and not numbed out. This casts a colder shade of gray into the spectrum they are painting the song with. Here and at other points in the album is breaks all the way down to very minimal arrangements augmented with sound effects. It is effective here is it sets the stage for the change in mood.

 "Mother Owl, Father Ocean is more of an ambient aside rather than a fully formed song, in the way this band conceives fully formed songs. It might be a fully formed song for the Cocteau Twins , but not for Wolves in the Throne Room. Five and a half minutes into the eleven minute closer things turn to a darker current. This offer the kind of dynamic shift I need as come of their so called cascadian passages can shimmer to brightly for what I generally look for , but when used as a contrasting color I think it works the best. They also manage to hit that sweet spot where they are just as heavy sonically as they are metal. This is along with darkness is among the more important qualities I look for in heavy music. The blasts in the last three minutes of this song are well deserved and make sense , as they have proven that this alone is not all they are about. I'll round this up to a 10 as I think it's solid triumph in the band returning to old stomping grounds in a way that is not mired in nostalgia for what was 14 years ago while still giving their early fans what they have been wanting.

Anatomy of Habit : "Ciphers + Axioms"

This project gets points for being so influenced by the Swans. However it' worth a listen yet , not something I feel compelled to keep in my iPod as it's two songs that are both over twenty minutes. The First "Radiate an Receive" finds a Gira like Baritone chant, ranting over the slow minimal pulse of the songs subtle throb. Imagine a nightmarish version of Interpol. This incarnation of the project now enlists members of Indian, the Sea and Cake, Wolves in the Throne Room and Joan of Arc. So the sound is as crazy as their collective influences might be diverse, though it sounds like they all can agree on Swans.

They lumber at a powerfully plodding tempo, but are not what I would call doom, more like very deliberate Sludge infused post -rock, thought with a very indie rock take on the vocals supplied by Mark Solotroff, when they are not in a domineering baritone, that commands your attention his vocals are very quirky and not unlike a starker version of Interpol. So not as dark as Ian Curtis if you are keeping score at home. When the vocals take a harsher turn, it's pretty impressive and from a production stand point this album is head and shoulders above the project's previous work. Before the nine minute mark they begin to really start pounding you with some pretty solid metal. The chug is strong. Dynamically they can drop back into the post rock thing at will. When you get to the sixteen minute mark of the first song, you being to wonder why this is still being dragged as they have made the point already. They keep pounding the point home, sometimes soaring, but not really expanding on new ground with it.

"Then Window" doesn't catch it's groove until it's closing in on the five minute mark. It starts off exploding out of a womb of feed back. The song coasts along on this more straight forward post- rock section for a few minutes, gradually building with almost a psychedelic feeling, if we are talking about "Ummagumma" era Pink Floyd.He chants the album's title for sometime. You need a decent stomach for drone in order  to enjoy this album. I like it used as a device , but when it becomes they only element driving the ship, then they better well be droning on some next level shit. They hang on the chant until mid way through the song. Then for the following seven minutes they let the song drift out into outer space. This evolves into full blown noise. Something that Swans dabbles in but is not the be all end all of what they are about in order to be obtuse. So for almost a good quarter of this album is droning noise. So how many drugs do you do is the next question this album asks of you. Once upon a time I would have enjoyed sailing across my living room to this , now I'm a little more grounded so don't have the use for it. I'll give this album a 6.5 , because I like when they are making real songs and from a production stand point they are heading in the right direction, next time I hope they focus more on the songwriting as they have too much talent to waste on noise.

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