The Rock Blogger

Wolves in the Throne Room. Black Cascade . 2009. 4.5 stars

"What we’re trying to do with our music is express an ancient, transcendent spirit. It’s based on the notion that as modern people we’ve lost a connection with a deep and transcendent source of wisdom that I think our ancestors had a much easier time coming in contact with. That lack of connection to this ancient transcendent spirit leads to a great deal of alienation, neurosis and sociological dysfunction. So our music is an attempt to re-awaken a connection to those sorts of feelings, those sorts of energies ". - Aaron Weaver, drummer, Wolves in the Throne Room

If it weren’t for the fey and materialistic stewards of our popular culture, bands like Wolves in the Throne Room might be widely recognized as masters of an increasingly powerful art form. Just as landscape painters of the 19th Century had romanticized the sublime and the terrifying in their natural surroundings, black metal artists reinvigorate fear and veneration of the wilderness and its mysteries. While the urban centers of the West produce sounds of cold comfort and accessibility, this band tears up such notions and drags the listener into the rain-soaked, mud-caked fray.

On their latest opus, WITTR, build on the atmospheric aesthetic that made Diadem of 12 Stars and Two Hunters so compelling. However, their sound is much more raw and immediate this time around, as the band moves away from ornamental post-rock experimentation to record an album more akin to their blistering live performances.

"Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog", referencing the triumphant painting by Caspar David Friedrich, hits the forest floor running, as the pummeling blast beats quickly hypnotize. Once the trance begins to set in, climbing guitar riffs provide a haunting lift as sorrowful vocals growl and shriek with reckless abandon. The combination of these elements becomes ritualistic, as the guitars and drums merge into a wall of sound, blackening out the sky like yawning pine trees. At the 8:30 mark, the band hits their final stride, with a stunning percussive break that lines the winding tremolo riffs. We’ve come to a country road, isolated and hidden, stretching past the granite hills as the sky turns an ominous, witching-hour orange.

"Ahrimanic Trance" goes deeper into the darkness, as the raging guitars bleed into each other, producing  haunting, gloomy drones. The symphonic lift this produces is strange and transient, borrowing a page from Emperor’s In the Nightside Eclipse and stretching it out into something more organic and subdued.

"Ex Cathedra" features the harshest vocals on the album, rasping under waves of distortion as the percussion continues its relentless barrage. At the halfway point, the song dissolves into dark ambient, with natural, airy drones and ghostly keyboards. This passage then gives way to more aggressive riffs that once again bring us back to familiar black metal violence.

"Crystal Ammunition" is the album’s final and longest track that spares no time in launching into a shamanic trance. On what is arguably Black Cascade ’s strongest piece, the band is incredibly tight and cohesive as they produce a fluid torrent of blast beats and tremolo riffs. This is WITTR at their most traditional, as the sound is direct, uncompromising and faithful to the atmospheric pillars of the black metal genre. The song is later interspersed with calm arpeggios, distant static and and chilling ambiance, rounding out an epic and frightening journey.

While those accustomed to the inventive use of female vocals and post-rock crescendos may decry their absence on this album, they should welcome WITTR’s return to their blackest of roots, where their sound is more direct and unforgiving. Granted, there are still many winding paths to found on this trance-inducing album. It may not be as ground-breaking as its predecessor Two Hunters , but the Black Cascade is still a masterpiece of USBM that oozes atmosphere and inspiration. This work, like the greatest works of the genre, is full of blood and soil, and draws out ancient feelings that we have either feigned or neglected. Step into the precipice.

Saturnus. Paradise Belongs to You . 1996. 5 stars .

Denmark’s Saturnus have been underwritten in the doom metal world despite crafting what could be one of the genre’s most intriguing albums. Paradise Belongs to You , the band’s 96 debut, incorporates acoutic passages, sorrowful riffs, death metal growls and an expansive atmosphere into beautifully fluid songs.

Aesthetic cousins to Agalloch and Katatonia, Saturnus’ riffs have a distinct, melancholic tone that makes for a dark and enveloping soundscape. Deep growls and sparingly used spoken word verses add to the gloom, contrasting barren despair with poetic romanticism. The use of subtle keyboards and plodding baselines underlie the building tension that runs through every song, leading the listener down shadowy passageways.

The extensive length of this album’s tracks gives the band plenty of room to flesh out their vision which is nothing less than epic. It avoids being overbearing by offsetting the intensity with hypnotic melodies, organic textures and the occasional piano or acoustic interlude. The short bird samples book-ending every track also tightens cohesion to the already seamless arrangements.

While it is difficult to select specific moments that make Paradise Belongs to You so beautiful, the entire album flows together so well that it doesn’t matter. It balances grim intensity with an airy atmosphere that evokes the sublime. A moody and intricately crafted album that represents the finer aspects of doom metal. Essential.

“Paradise Belongs to You”

Mono. Hymn to the Immortal Wind . 2009. 4 stars.

Japan’s Mono have deservedly risen to the top ranks of the post-rock genre, producing nearly a decade’s worth of emotionally stirring albums. Hymn to the Immortal Wind carries on with their proud tradition with extensive pieces featuring neoclassical instrumentation and sweeping crescendos. While the band has moved beyond the nosier squalls of the past, their current work is just as epic, building on the cinematic atmosphere they have continuously honed and perfected.

Haunting songs like "Ashes in the Snow" and "Burial at Sea" boast shimmering guitars accompanied by strings and grandiose percussion, adding flesh to the skeletal dynamics that have now become so common place for other post-rock bands (like Explosions in the Sky for instance). Mono sounds both more sensitive and full-blooded in their approach, working with a larger musical palette in order to progress from raw catharsis to a more refined and operatic dynamic. Mono’s chief compositional gift lies in their sense of space, leaving room for each layer to swell up and be released. The effect is often compelling, as the clear production allows each musical element to grip the listener’s attention, pulling them into the building maelstroms, lapping against each other like waves in the ocean.

Alongside these overwhelming songs lie gentle piano and string based segues like "Silent Flight, Sleeping Dawn" and "Follow the Map" provide cohesive bridges across the album’s centerpieces. Patient and brooding songs like "Pure as Snow", "The Battle to Heaven" and "Everlasting Light" glide across slow melodies before burning under cacophonous distortion.

Mono are in top form on Hymn to the Immortal Wind , producing what could be called their most evocative and neoclassical album to date. While it may be hard to distinguish one epic song from another, the entire album is consistently moving and lush. Though there may be no climatic elements that jump out from the lambency, there are enough gorgeous melodies to make this memorable.  If anything, this album is a clear marker for Mono’s steady evolution into a fresh stream of cinematic post-rock that builds on traditional classical traditions.

“Burial at Sea”

Om - Flight of the Eagle Live

So much to do, so many albums to listen to.
Here’s a quick guide to some outstanding examples of folk and viking metal.
The genres typically features ancestral and pagan themes, acoustic passages and aggressive riffs and percussion.

I know its not an extensive list, so I encourage everyone to leave suggestions for additions in the comments

Bathory. Blood Fire Death

A pioneering album that took thrash metal musicianship to new heights. Sweden’s Bathory has had an extensive influence on many black metal scenes across the world.

Blood Fire Death

Moonsorrow - Kivenkantaja

One of the most revered folk metal acts active today. The work of Finland’s Moonsorrow is notoriously epic, with incredibly long songs, stellar musicianship and inspired vocal performances. This is one their most acclaimed albums.

Ensiferum - Ensiferum

Fast paced and memorable riffs are the central draws here on this infectious album. Melodic and heroic songs.

Borknagar. S/T

Raw, brutal and frosty folk metal that is heavily influenced by black metal aesthetics. They never were as fierce after this album.

Wolfchant. A Pagan Storm

Fast, melodic folk metal in the same vein as Ensiferum.

Primordial. To the Nameless Dead

Epic Celtic metal from Ireland that has made waves in the last few years. Great, bellowing vocals and impassioned performances make this album unmissable.

Falkenbach Heralding the Fireblade

A solid release that features a good mix of blast beats and symphonic keyboards. Vratyas Vakyas’ voice is awesome, especially on the opening track.

Agalloch. Pale Folklore

Easily my favorite band on this list. Oregon’s Agalloch deservedly boast a large cult following, drawing in stylistic elements from black metal, folk, doom metal and post rock. This is what started it all.

Myrkgrav. Trollskau

Norwegian band that incorporates black metal aesthetics along with folk-inspired vocals. The occasional use of female vocals effectively adds another dimension to their sound.

Empyrium. Songs of Moors and Misty Fields

Beautiful folk metal that borders on neofolk given its neoclassical influence. A sorrowful and atmospheric release.

Review by Tyson Stewart: Let the Right One In
(Screenplay by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Dir. Tomas Alfredson. Perf. Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson. 2008.)

Who would have thought the Euro art film renaissance would come in the form of a teen vampire flick? But it has. Here are filmmakers totally in control of their craft. It is a horror film and the great thing is we don’t mind the manipulation that goes on—the film’s style of Less is More prevents the kinds of condescension that are the mainstay of mainstream horrors. From the first lines (“Squeal like a pig! Squeal!”) on the film maintains a perpetual suspense and a disarming confidence.

The setting is an apartment complex in the dead of Winter in Sweden. Oskar, a 12-year-old boy, is a target of bullies. Eli is a strange girl who doesn’t go to school and sits on a fucked up jungle gym without shoes on at night. They soon start talking and become friends. Eli gives Oskar advice on how to handle his bullies. Oskar deals with the boy that gives him the most trouble in a way that seemed like the best solution. Meanwhile, Eli deals with her own problems—basically, she has a bizarre need of blood and lots of it. Their relationship grows at a natural pace and the acting (by Kare Hedebrant as Oskar and Lina Leandersson as Eli) is tremendous too.

There is a real evolution in terms of how he looks at her. From a casual demeanor to a childlike obsession with deeper undercurrents that signify a brutal resistance to the adult world’s sheer banality, Oskar’s falling in love with her comes at the sublime cost of falling out of society. Moreover, this is a cruel world full of drunks (Oskar’s father) and bullies. In a Nietzschean turn, Eli’s victims have a purpose that they otherwise wouldn’t have had.

The moments of action are very successful because the filmmaker shows only what is necessary for story comprehension and thus carry much potential. The perspective of the viewer matters enormously in these moments. There is a shot in the pool scene, for instance, that allows the viewer to imagine practically 80% of the action. Generally, much isn’t seen directly. Eli’s flying is never shown. And better yet, a whole lot isn’t explained, like the presence of the egg in her barren apartment or when Eli starts bleeding everywhere because Oskar failed to be polite by not asking her to come in. This Less is More principle doesn’t work like other horror films, i.e. Signs or The Blair Witch Project.

The meaning is never in question in these films. But here, the filmmaker controls and manipulates, to build suspense, and then avoids a full control of the meaning of other things, thus giving the audience member room to build the meaning. It is a more complex style of filmmaking. I would label it a mix of the Hollywood formulaic coupled with a slipping of autonomy from the director toward the audience member. The film is completely effective because it gets in you and you get into it: a truly vampirist act: cinema as bodily exchange. Another filmmaker that does this is Robert Bresson, who the filmmakers may be referencing when Oskar taps on the wall to communicate with Eli—this is reminiscent to how the inmates communicate in Bresson’s prison flick A Man Espaced. Bresson’s shots elicit a surplus of connotation, often not showing the action but gesturing toward it through sound or other creative means.

Let the Right One In may be my favorite fiction film of 2008, but it has nothing to do with its totality of vision. In fact, it doesn’t have a singular vision at all. It is too clunky (the last scene on the train is pure fat and evaporates all exuberant energy) and exploitative (it can’t resists certain gross-out shots) in parts to assume a stately perfection of vision. The complexity remains in the give and take of the filmmakers—and this is why it is an accomplished horror film that harkens back to the best tenets of European art cinema.

Afterlives . A Ticking Clock I Couldn’t Stop . 2009. 4 stars.

This is a strange, lonesome and intensely personal debut from Connecticut’s William Barett. His project Afterlives consists of haunting lo-fi dirges that move from sparse guitar passages to squalls of droning noise, providing many jarring moments to catch the listener off guard. While it is clear that this album is a loosely knit sample of ideas, there are some stirring gems to found here. "Ever the Optimist" is one of the finer examples of how Afterlives can usurp expectations. Loose, jangly riffs dissolve into a wall of noise as Barett screams over the storm, yearning for hope and resolve in a darkening world.

"Still Lakes " is a stunningly vulnerable piece with distant, weepy vocals and sorrowful acoustic strums that move towards a resonant chorus that pushes the song into slow,  pulsating psychedelia. Sounding broken down and alone, Barett’s voice trembles across the yawning chasms lying between soft percussive beats, as the plodding guitars foretell imminent doom. It’s a subtly powerful song that seeps in ever so slowly, drawing you into the fractured psychology of its author. A clear highlight of this disc.

Songs like "Fireworks" move dreamily along as wiry riffs play hypnotically against harmonized vocals and slow-burning distortion before rising to an inevitable climax. "Distance Runner" follows with spacey atmospheric effects, shimmering post-rock guitars and unsettling vocalizations that buzz in the background. Other experiments, like the cacophonous drone exercises on "Sanderban Tigers" and "I Am the Heroic" provide occasional shocks to the system, shaking off sad stupors with blasts of blind catharsis.

Taken in its entirety, Afterlives’ debut is both brave and perturbed, weaving noisy experimentation with intimate, heart-tugging revelation. While its highlights are distinct, the entire work should be admired for its artistic abandon and honesty. The crackling home-recording aesthetic has offered Mr. Barett a unique vehicle to expose his darkest demons. For those fascinated by the post-rock amalgamations of Have a Nice Life, be sure to track down this brother project.

In the Woods… Heart of the Ages . 1995. 4.5 stars.

Heart of the Ages was a landmark release back in 95 that helped expand the scope of Norwegian black metal. Far more versatile than other groups from the period, In the Woods… took a progressive approach to their music, using ambient passages, guitar solos and interchanging vocal styles to push their sound beyond primitive blast beats and shrieking. Sounding like a cross between early Ulver and Edge of Sanity, In the Woods… transitions between operatic "clean" vocals and shrill metal howls to tell their cryptic narratives.

The tracks here are long and epic, as they should be, with extensive song structures that weave between rich textures and tempo changes. Songs like "Yearning the Seeds of a New Dimension" and "The Divinity of Wisdom" take their time to build from organic ambient dirges to expansive riffs, eventually boiling over into barrages of blackened chaos.

The only detracting element of this debut is the thin production which leaves some segments feeling flat and underdeveloped. However, the band’s ability to incorporate a diverse array of sounds, while still maintaining an organic and expansive atmosphere, makes up for any technical shortcomings. Overall, this is an important and influential release that helped set the stage for atmospheric black metal with a more experimental edge.

The Divinity of Wisdom

Ivan Shishkin In the Wild North , 1891.

Where is the fighting man?
I am he