WATAIN - "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE" (2018)

WATAIN - "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE"
(Running time: 34:43 minutes; 8 songs)
("His Master's Noise" & "Century Media Records" / 2018 / CD):

Hey guys, yes, finally the first new post for February 2018 is right here and right now aiming @ you and coming for you, so far and so good, and in this case this means that here'n'now the next load'n'dose of record-review(s) awaits you and here and now it will be all about the new WATAIN full-length-album "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE" released very recently this year last month in sort of a 'collaborating way' (in)between the to me unknwon "HIS MASTER'S NOISE" label and the veterans of "CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS" and it is released in various different formats and I have the normal CD edition and so my review right now and right here will also be solely on the standard version of the CD release, just that you know that, and btw this was the first brandnew 2018 release that I bought last month and so this very one here is now also my first record-review on a 2018 release so far (more I have also already in store). Before we will dive into the new onslaught delivered by/of WATAIN just let me say one or two general things, yes, because I have not a single clou how I much I will get done up here this very month (it's a very stressful month so far with a lot of work to do in 'real life' and so it's currently pretty hard to find the time'n'space to get new proper stuff up here) but anyhow I've already started working on some 'new projects' up here so that I think latest from some day next month on also other stuff than 'only' record-reviews will find their way up here again, finally. Okay, and now straight into the action a.k.a. finally straight and direct to WATAIN's "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE": Straigt and direct is sort of the perfect opening line of/to/for this very record-review here'n'now and this simply due to the fact that this is fast and harsh, stunning and aggressive, ice-cold-blistering and screamingly rattling staright and direct into your face threshed Black Metal probably of the most pure and true kind you will get delivered by such a 'big' band these day'n'age right now. After the experimental and probably for a lot of oh so trve Black Metal die hards very controversial predecessor these days in 2018 on "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE" WATAIN deliver aggressive and extreme, raw and violent Black Metal that's damn pure and of course pretty to very true and that also comes with some healthy doses of chaotic raging disorder right from the get-go. WATAIN's "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE" is filled with ice-cold-blistering blizzard guitars that really shine with their bitterly and icy, nihilistic aggression and the deadly and life-denying atmosphere that they create especially with their raging leads and their pure chaos solos as well as with a lot of very melodic and (sort of) 'folkloristic' parts, yes, and for sure they offer also pretty strong and harsh riffs and a such rhythm work and they also don't shy away to deliver pure 'moshy' Thrash Metal parts (even this patrts are painted anyhow very black anyway), and if you ask me that's all pretty to very good. The rhythm section is backing the guitars very strongly up and especially the crushing and devastating drumming really adds tons of bulky and beefy meat to the backbone of WATAIN's "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE" (and like sort of in best Black Metal tradition there's mostly really anyhow no need to talk about or even of any bass work in general, if you get what I say). The vocals are bestial and diabolic, harsh and nasty and extreme screams that reach from high pitched hysteric screeches to a more deep and 'shouty' delivery and deliver pretty much as many variations that one can probably only get this days from a pure and true Black Metal band and album. Despite the over-all very straight forward(s) and onwards into war charging approach the songwriting is anyhow still pretty diverse and anyway decent and the songs really offer a lot and also a big bunch of pretty impressive twists'n'turns all along the ride and nice little surpsises and even really catchy arranged vocal lines worked into it all if you work yourself only a little bit deeper into the hellish raging pure hate set to musick, yes, and that the guys in/of WATAIN are also very strong'n'skilled musicians anyhow should probably need no further explanation here and now. So, yes, it's all good and fine... but... yes... but I have a very serious but concerning or affecting WATAIN's "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE" and this is: This very album leaves me damn cold. It simply don't moves or touches or straightens'n'errects and arouses me like it should and this due to the fact that despise all its hellish atmosphere and the chaotic, aggressive, violent, bestial'n'diabolical, and hatefilled, life-denying, and extreme approach of this shredding wrath and blasphemic/satanic nihilisim set to musick it lacks some good to huge doses of intensity so that a bunch of the songs turn despite all the blast speed and all 'the stuff' to sort of a 'easy-listening-music' playing in the background - and by any means but probably especially Black Metal was never meant to be something like this, point and fact. Don't get me wrong with songs like for example the nearly perfect "NUCLEAR ALCHEMY" or "A THRONE BELOW", "TEUFELSREICH" and "THE FIRE OF POWER", to name this four ones, an album can never be bad but with songs like for example the totally lame and stale "TOWARDS THE SANCTUARY" I really catch myself thinking about how I may structure my tomorrow-day and what food I may buy on Saturday for the next week instead of listening or being anyhow or anyway aroused or excited by the music... and, okay, I think you get what I am trying to say. With all this said maybe don't believe blindly all the hype wafting around WATAIN's "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE" and give it a good try before you buy it blindly expecting the newest majestic masterpiece spitted out of hell directly by the horned one himself. But if you don't expect something 'instantly-legendary' and just look for a new and (very) decent, pretty good Black Metal album then the "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE" of/by WATAIN should serve your needs very, very well. Some 'nice' Black Metal lyrics, a gorgeous artwork, and a rough and yet anyhow very powerful production sound round it all finally up. If you are into Black Metal or if you currently work yourself into Black Metal and if you have a faible or start to develop a faible especially for acts like MAYHEM, DISSECTION, MARDUK, and maybe also some BURZUM then WATAIN's "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE" should also make you pretty to very happy. A decent album, yes, definitely worth checking out, yes, even I miss 'something' to/about it... but maybe that's also just me, who knows... anyhow and anyway, okay, you now know 'the deal' so that I can now calmly close this very one right now and right here. We will read us again, sooner or later.

(7,5 of 10 points)

http://www.templeofwatain.com/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)

WATAIN - "NUCLEAR ALCHEMY" (2018, "TRIDENT WOLF ECLIPSE")