The second review of today is the new album from another Swedish Black Metal band, Watain!
01. Nuclear Alchemy is a track I am familiar with as I pre-ordered the 7″ single, it is a great Watain piece, like something from “Lawless Darkness”, very raw and aggressive which just makes you want to create chaos (as I am sure is the intent of the band).
02. Sacred Damnation sounds like something from the 90s, a beautiful piece of classic Black Metal which has so much atmosphere and sheer brilliance. The instrumentals on this album so far (although early to tell) are amazing and Erik’s vocals sound as evil as always!
03. Teufelsreich has a very interesting rhythm with the a very dark atmosphere, it is an uneasy track (in a great way) and really makes your skin crawl. This feels more like something from the bands first couple of releases, which I am sure many people appreciate.
04. Furor Diabolicus feels like it follows from Nuclear Alchemy, which after 2 tracks works nicely, nothing feeling repetitive but the album having a strong identity. Watain continue to make solid material and follow a formula which both works for them and for fans, a band I would say have not made a bad album to date.
05. A Throne Below is once again an extremely atmospheric but dark piece, this album certainly works best as a whole as the tracks flow together so well. The guitar lead part in this song is really catchy and overlays the amazing riff work intensely.
06. Ultra (Pandemoniac) is packed with aggression, brutality and sheer Black Metal warfare. This song so far is my favourite and it really is just crushingly heavy and dark. A perfect example of what the Swedish Legions are capable of. The drums stand out on this track especially as they’re just full of blasting but precision and just killer speeds.
07. Towards The Sanctuary follows the previous track perfectly and matches it’s aggression but in a much more Thrashy style, this is the kind of song where Black Metal can also have Mosh pits. The vocals are edited into an inhuman sounding noise. Erik’s natural style comes back and they work insanely well together, to create and almost conversational atmosphere within the track. The guitar riffs flow in such a gorgeous way to create a really masterful track.
08. The Fire Of Power is the final track and has a lovely doom tinged Black Metal sound, this feels more like something from “The Wild Hunt” and works really well to continue in the style of the other songs yet feel like closure to them additionally. A perfectly placed song to close this great album.
Overall this release was great and I preferred it to “The Wild Hunt” however I still prefer “Lawless Darkness”. very enjoyable and aggressive Black Metal as one comes to expect from Watain. This release is certainly (along with Shining’s “Varg Utan Flock”) a great way to kick off 2018!
Overall rating: 9/10
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