Wolves in the Throne Room – Celestial Lineage (2011)

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USBM favorite tree hugger band has returned with yet another stylish release that is set to put everybody else to shame (in the USBM scene) and elevate the status of Wolves in the Throne Room (WITTR) even more. We have always been fans of bands that pushed the envelope and WITTR is exactly what they have been doing release after release since their birth back in 2003.

Always characterized by their pummeling rawness, the band nicely incorporates atmospheric elements into their sound to create amazing songs that are never truly what meets the ‘ears’ in the initial listens of their albums. While most bands focus on who can be the rawest and most punishing bands, WITTR achieves this by building onto their sound beautiful landscapes that are unrivaled by virtually any other band playing similar music.

On the opener “Thuja Magus Imperium” after an ethereal female vocal and atmospheric intro, the band fully explodes with punishing riffing and intricate drumming all nicely paired with ripping screams. While this is the band’s traditional approach, in every song they craft they still manage to come up with fresh elements and directions to continue. In the ritualistic “Permanent Changes in Consciousness”, the sublime almost monk-like atmosphere is very effective in switching the listeners focus for a brief moment before their next aural assault.

Slowly building up, “Subterranean Initiation” delivers riff after riffs of powerful BM that many bands can only wish they would be able to come up with once in their existence. Never letting go we also have the atmospheric elements that take the song from just another BM song to a signature WITTR BM song. After another instrumental track (“Rainbow Illness”), we have the hypnotic “Woodland Cathedral”, here the female vocals create the perfect atmosphere and the guitar riffs just adorn the beauty of the vocals.

Fully exploding into fifth-gear, “Astral Blood” is our favorite song of the album. The drumming is very fast-paced, but the small slowdown passages are what make this song more effective and eerie. The closer “Prayer of Transformation” is an almost Funereal Doom / Suicidal Black Metal track that nicely slows things down to finalize such a powerful release. The vocals are extremely harsh, fitting perfectly in the overall mood of the song.

Before you even know it, the 50 minutes of music presented in this album are gone and you will find yourself hitting the play button again almost instantly. As one of the most expected releases of 2011, “Celestial Lineage” delivers in every single aspect and shows that WITTR are not a band that will fade away anytime soon.

Band: Wolves in the Throne Room Album: Celestial Lineage
Label: Southern Lord Recordings

Release: September 13th, 2011

Oficial Site myspace
Genre: Ambient Black Metal

Country: USA

Rating: 92/100
Year: 

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