ALBUM REVIEW: Temple – Wolvennest

WOLVENNEST have, in six short years, managed to establish a reputation for themselves as one of the most interesting and imaginative acts within the extreme metal underground. Bringing together a noxious blend of black metal, ambient and psychedelic music, with hints of doom and lots of musical experimentation, WOLVENNEST have quickly carved out their own sound which sets them apart from the vast majority of their peers, with their debut full length, Void, and 2019’s Vortex E.P allowing the band to ascend build a solid amount of critical acclaim. Their latest album, Temple, showcases a band on the verge of breaking out onto the forefront of the worldwide metal scene, standing as easily their best work to date.

Mantra is a suitably hazy and foreboding opener, steeped in ambience and minimalist guitars, adopting a, epic guitars, haunting vocals and a cavernous drum as it progresses, giving everything a dense, ritualistic feel, interspersed with slight, electronic flourishes that, alongside the vocals, pierce the murky aspects of the sound, providing a stark, but effective, contrast. Swear to Fire, with its prominent use of keyboards and theremin, crafts a spacey atmosphere, clashing with the chunkier quality of the guitar and bass hooks extremely well. The vocals, much like on the previous offering, are very dramatic whilst allowing the guitars to carry things more than the first track. It’s great, being catchy and bombastic in equal measure. Alecto is more a more subdued affair, with WOLVENNEST leaning heavily upon the ambient side of their sound, with measured, cleaner guitars complementing these aspects rather than being backed by them. Incarnation, similarly, utilises the keyboards and impressively expressive female vocals for an ethereal sound, drawing the listener in with spartan melodies and thunderous percussion, giving the song plenty of depth musically, with the closing moments providing some gargantuan riffs that make for a cinematic conclusion.

All that Black, a short, punchy track by this albums standards, strips back the atmospheric side of the bands sound, with solid guitar and drums creating a great backdrop for the powerful vocals that accompany them. Despite its far from conventional sound, this is probably the closest thing to a traditional metal track, with energized guitars, making it stand out for all the right reasons. Succubus, featuring a guest appearance from TJ Cowgill of KING DUDE on vocals, is another monolithic high point, and makes great use of brooding baritones a polished, varied guitar sound for a darker, gothic approach that is, at times, a little evocative of TYPE O NEGATIVE‘s more experimental moments. It’s a fantastic change of pace that widens Temple‘s already vast musical scope, and remains memorable in spite of its longer running time.

Disappear, with its booming, chanted vocals and celestial ambience, retains some of the gothic pomp of its predecessor, with the guitars and drums adding a focused, invigorating edge. Souffle de Mort eases the listener in with a keyboard centric sound, before a rhythmic beat creeps in, capturing the primitive, ritualistic feel that has featured earlier on the album. It’s a magnificent slab of atmospheric doom that builds to a grandiose sound, peppered with jarring guitars and harsher vocals that injects a little venom into the mix. It continuously feels like this song is about to launch into a crescendo that never comes, keeping the listener enthralled from the first note to the last, making it a brilliant end to the record.

Every so often, an album comes along that is so impressive, and stands out from the pack for all the best reasons, that it’s almost a certainty that the band that made it will ascend to global prominence. Temple is definitely one of those albums. Much like their earlier records, it’s very clear that WOLVENNEST have taken the time to make sure that each song contributes to the whole of the record, rather than focusing on spreading a few great tunes throughout an album as many other bands tend to do. At nearly 80 minute in length, it’s an incredibly hypnotic and immersive experience, and there’s very little, if any, dull moments on here. From the musicianship, to the production, it’s fantastic on all fronts, and proves to be not only a very early contender for album of 2021, but also one of the most distinctly different records of the last few years.

Rating: 9/10

Temple is out now via Ván Records.

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