Watain

Watain - Trident Wolf Apocalypse (9/10)

Twenty years into their career delivering some of the most blasphemous metal this side of Sweden, the Theistic Satanists (look it up) continue to adorn their concerts in animal carcass, pyros and blood. One such show in Brooklyn gained the band notoriety after a dousing of blood caused concertgoers to vomit. After all, what’s a metal show without ample amounts of fluid? Trident Wolf Apocalypse starts with unremitting bombast but then quickly sedates itself with “Sacred Damnation,” a foray into groovy — neigh, even melody. It’s an unexpected turn that resurfaces throughout the adroit record. But what makes this record distinct is the looming shadow of collaborator Selim Lemouchi, which spurred frontman Erick Danielsson to declare, “There's no hiding the fact that in between The Wild Hunt and this album we had to bury one of our members and go to his funeral together. [...] It perhaps underlines the gravity of the album and that this is not about fucking around. This is not a game. This is life and death. This is what Watain are about." His statement is a reminder that, no matter how cliched or sophomoric metal may seem at times, the genre has heart.

Rating: 9/10

Watain
Trident Wolf Apocalypse
Century Media Records
Producer: Tore Stjerna