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Wolves in the Throne Room: Celestial Lineage

Washington's Wolves in the Throne Room have been on quite a roll these last few years. Practically leading the charge of the American atmospheric black metal market, the band have released one album after another of chilling extreme metal mixed with cascading beauty that draws influence from the legends of the Scandinavian scene. Celestial Lineage is their latest release on Southern Lord, and once again the band have put together another masterpiece of black metal majesty.

Opening track "Thuja Magus Imperium" once again sees the appearance of female vocalist Jessika Kenney, who now seems to be a regular guest on albums by the band. Her soothing, gorgeous delivery floats over ambient synths, allowing for a haunting and tranquil opening to the album. Fear not, there's also some raging black metal to be found here, such as the frenzied "Subterranean Initiation", the quite symphonic & epic "Astral Blood", and the chilling "Woodland Cathedral" which mixes ethereal beauty with crushing atmosphere. Toss in the droning, almost doomy vibe of the collossal closer "Prayer of Transformation", and you have an album full of experimentation, monstrous heaviness, and lush atmosphere.

Compared to previous releases, there's arguably less extreme black metal on Celestial Lineage than some loyal fans would like, but you have to give Wolves in the Throne Room credit for trying some different things here and really putting together one hell of a haunting and diverse album. When the black metal kicks in, it scorches with venemous rasps, pulverizing blast beats, and raging tremelo picked guitar madness, but when it quiets down, the results are mesmerizing. The end result is another stunning achievement from the current leaders of the US black metal scene.


Track Listing
01. Thuja Magus Imperium
02. Permanent Changes in Consciousness
03. Subterranean Initiation
04. Rainbow Illness
05. Woodland Cathedral
06. Astral Blood
07. Prayer Of Transformation

Added: November 22nd 2011
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 3288
Language: english

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Wolves in the Throne Room: Celestial Lineage
Posted by Jeff B, SoT Staff Writer on 2011-11-22 21:50:55
My Score:

America has been a breeding ground for atmospheric black metal in recent years, and arguably the band at the forefront of this resurgence is Washington's Wolves In The Throne Room. The band's unique and majestic brand of black metal music has garnered quite a bit of hype in recent years, but it wasn't until the release of Celestial Lineage that I've finally had the opportunity to give these guys a shot. Right off the bat, two things are very clear about Wolves In The Room - this is a truly ambitious group of musicians and they definitely know how to craft thought provoking black metal music. Celestial Lineage is an epic, atmospheric, and majestic journey through the most chilling and beautiful compositions that modern black metal has to offer.

Musically, Celestial Lineage is an interesting blend of old school black metal, dark ambient, and even shoegaze with plenty of psychedelic textures and progressive nuances. Though Wolves In The Throne Room could best be described as progressive/atmospheric black metal, their sound differs tremendously from the likes of Fen, Enslaved, Shining, and other leaders of more progressive-minded black metal music. The long, brooding compositions all feature epic synthesizers, furious riffs, and tortured black metal vocals - though not every moment of Celestial Lineage is remarkable, bone-chilling tracks like "Woodland Cathedral" send shivers up my spine every time I hear them. I absolutely love the epic and progressive edge that Wolves In The Throne Room gives to their raw black metal roots, and the result is nothing short of a spectacular album.

Celestial Lineage is an exceptional effort from this Washington-based act, and their unique sound and gifted capabilities as songwriters is sure to impress fans of progressive-minded black metal. While I do think a few sections are drawn out a bit too long, there's hardly any weak moments at all on Celestial Lineage - I've had a great pleasure listening to this demanding and mature work of art. 4 stars are warranted for this highly recommended observation.



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