Album Review: Wolves In The Throne Room – Estuary
Reviewed by Oli Gonzalez
Winter is here, with the nights getting longer and colder. As good a time as any to check out one of the leading forces in the USA’s black metal scene, Wolves In The Throne Room (WITTR). See, WITTR will return to Europe this autumn and embark on a tour that will see them land at Samhain Maastricht as headliners, whilst also topping the bill for Damnation’s second stage! Before then, here’s a sneak preview of what we can expect from their latest full length effort “Estuary” which coincides with this tour.
The band haven’t made it easy for themselves, with huge releases like “Two Hunters” and “Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge” setting a standard for their legions of fans globally. Though what we have on “Estuary” is a reminder of why they’re such a respected name and revered force in the world of black metal!
See, the account is opened with the album’s title track. There’s something so relaxing and opulent yet gritty and bleak about this. That’s achieved through the dense layers of guitars sprinkled with a bit of magic from the synths, achieving a depth of atmosphere that hits the sweet spot between being immersive but not overwhelming. For the most part, the pace is more relaxed; you feel as though WITTR are resisting the urge to throw the kitchen sink at you and ease you in gently. Then it’s time. ‘Knights Of Tiamat’. The pace quickens, the drums become more frantic and there’s an undeniable sense of urgency now! Though within all this chaos, the lead guitars still add a melodic focal point and an indulgent celestial atmosphere to the music. With this becoming more apparent at around the 3 minute mark. After what feels like a brief moment of respite, all hell breaks loose with the most sadistic and gnarly lead guitar solos! The crescendo of the song no doubt.
The mood and dynamics shift to slow, introspective, and sludgey during the outset of ‘Foretold In Reflections’. Whereas Nathan is largely the voice of the band with his higher pitch shrieks one of the band’s more iconic features, here the rest of the band join in and lend more gravelly and lower growls into the vocal repertoire for the band. The band lean into a more darkened almost funeral doom feel for large parts of the song before fading away and allowing a more enchanting harp segment close the song!
‘The Orca Cliffs’ represents faster, more frantic movements for the song, interseeded with slower atmospheric and ambient segments. This pattern has always been central to WITTR’s sound, though the non-canonical song structures makes it difficult to predict what direction the band will take you in. This makes you feel constantly on guard and stimulated, rather than typical verse-chorus-verse style arrangements. No, WITTR are undisputed innovators for the genre. No doubt. “Estuary” represents the sound of a band more than comfortable in taking the path less travelled. We’re in for a real treat when they play songs from this fine effort in only a few weeks time!
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