The first two months of the year in the Northern hemisphere (especially here in New England) the cold digs itself into your bones and your very psyche. During these times, black metal with some atmosphere and emotion can go a long way to fighting back against the heart of winter. As prescribed by the doctor, Woe has released Legacies of Human Frailty (Self-Released), another take at the previous, Covid-era album, Legacies of Frailty (Vendetta Records). It was an ambitious decision to revisit these songs and evolve them into something true to the core, but adding more character.

“The Justice of Gnashing Teeth,” gives plenty of tremolo picking and blast beats to keep you headbanging through the first half of the song. The middle of the song ends up slowing down with moderate tempo double bass kicks. Towards the end, the blast beats and tremolo return to tie it all together.

“Fresh Chaos Greets the Dawn” sets a web of false security with a keyboard intro before suddenly changing to speedy black metal with a forlorn chord progression that should invoke sadness and melancholy. After several minutes, the tempo comes crashing down while the depressive guitar riff continues to evolve.

“Shores of Extinction” starts off with a moderate tempo with tame drumming and the chord progressions on the guitar painting a picture of Hell on Earth. The main riff continues throughout the song to remind you of the pain and suffering our species is marching towards.

Once again, black metal has produced music to help get through these harsh winters and the mental instabilities that come with a lack of sun. Woe continues to impress on this one, even if functionally these are the same songs as the previous album, you can hear and feel how they have evolved in these last few years. If emotions other than anger in music does something for you, go check this album out.

Buy the album here:
https://ampwall.com/a/woeunholy/album/legacies-of-human-frailty

8 / 10
TIM LEDIN
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