Somewhere I have read that Watain is currently the most important black metal band in the world. However exaggerated or correct this statement may be, The Wild Hunt was certainly a long-awaited album. The Wild Hunt will certainly not disappoint the faithful fans of Watain, it is in perfect Watain style and there is nothing new, nor drastic changes in comparison with the past: black metal melodies in tremolo picking alternating with mute riffs, a perfect sound, magnificent arrangements, and the first two or three tracks are really great, including the beautiful intro. The first songs of the album grind at high tempos, nearly all the time, and are very well performed; needless to say that we are speaking of musicians who know their business. The second half of the album is slower than the first one, with a more intensive use of long, stopped chords, a feature that has characterized the style of the band already in the past; there is may be a little psychedelic influence, as well. Outstanding is the slow, powerful beginning of the title track “TheWild Hunt”, with a choir of clean voices; however nobody is going to miss blast beat, especially those who have the limited edition CD mediabook with a bonus track, "When Stars No More Shine", which grinds very fast and is an awfully great song. But there are also the typical kitch inserts in Watain style, and the real novelty or innovation compared to the past is a ballad, “They Rode On”, which is the longest song in the album, but the lyrics are of course not that romantic. As already mentioned another novelty is the use of clean voice in several songs. The atmosphere sounds a bit dull, though, and the album as a whole is not very involving.
The themes addressed in the texts are similar to those in Lawless Darkness, that is darkness, temptation, as in “De Profundis”, rebellion, anti-religion and similar staff; the third track “Black Flames March” is a real prayer to an anti-god. Even though one may not share Watain’s alleged satanism, I must admit that text writer Eric Danielson really knows how to address such themes: no gratuitous blasphemy, nor continuous invocation to Satan. The texts are full of morbid visions of desolated landscapes, evil and insanity. The Wild Hunt is an honest album with no commercial breakthrough. In conclusion a really good album but not one from the most important black metal band.
Notes:
The Wild Hunt was released through Century Media on 19 August in Europe and 20 August in USA. The cover art was painted "in oil and mixed materials" by Zbigniew M. Bielak, who was also responsible for the artwork of Lawless Darkness.
Personnel:
Erik Danielsson – vocals, bass, guitar
Håkan Jonsson – drums
Pelle Forsberg – guitar
Set Teitan – lyrics on "Black Flames March"
Staffan Winroth - accordion, fiddle
Anna Norberg – additional vocals at the ending of "They Rode On"
Text by Herjann
The themes addressed in the texts are similar to those in Lawless Darkness, that is darkness, temptation, as in “De Profundis”, rebellion, anti-religion and similar staff; the third track “Black Flames March” is a real prayer to an anti-god. Even though one may not share Watain’s alleged satanism, I must admit that text writer Eric Danielson really knows how to address such themes: no gratuitous blasphemy, nor continuous invocation to Satan. The texts are full of morbid visions of desolated landscapes, evil and insanity. The Wild Hunt is an honest album with no commercial breakthrough. In conclusion a really good album but not one from the most important black metal band.
Notes:
The Wild Hunt was released through Century Media on 19 August in Europe and 20 August in USA. The cover art was painted "in oil and mixed materials" by Zbigniew M. Bielak, who was also responsible for the artwork of Lawless Darkness.
Personnel:
Erik Danielsson – vocals, bass, guitar
Håkan Jonsson – drums
Pelle Forsberg – guitar
Set Teitan – lyrics on "Black Flames March"
Staffan Winroth - accordion, fiddle
Anna Norberg – additional vocals at the ending of "They Rode On"
Text by Herjann