Fifth studio album from Sweden’s national treasure, Watain, sees a departure from their blackest of black sound and anti-cosmic Luciferian ideals into territory that will ruffle the feathers of die-hard fans the world over.
The Wild Hunt lures listeners in with the slow building tension of ‘Night Vision’ before grabbing a stranglehold with ‘De Profundis’. It’s jam packed with classic Swedish tremolo vibes that the band are famed for but, unlike the trio’s previous releases, it possesses a raw sounding 80’s production quality that could easily pass as an offering from Sodom.
The vast majority of this record proves itself to be multi dimensional and a vast progression from its predecessor ‘Lawless Darkness’. With heavy influences from both death and thrash metal there is a grimy sense of aggression throughout and the structuring of each track sees a smooth paradigm shift between each element so every component, from vocals to percussion, gets a chance to shine.
What proves most surprising of all is ‘They Rode On’; a ballad that sees Danielsson display a clean and emotive vocal performance. Slow and melodic, this track is an introspective tale of the journey the band are taking – for anyone listening and puzzling at the change in sound, simply listen to the lyrics and all will be answered.
This will take a few spins before the experience truly soaks in, however, this is the definitive album in proving that Watain are spiritual pioneers of the black metal world and more than just a gimmick. By far their most mature opus to date. More of this please!
8/10
Angela Davey