ALBUM REVIEW: The Wolf And The King – 1349
Some bands move with the times, or just grow in a different direction. Look at the likes of ENSLAVED, or OPETH, who have evolved so far from their original roots in black and death metal respectively. Others keep their original sound, but clean up their act to become more appealing to the masses. Since forming in 1997, Oslo’s 1349 have ploughed forth with the mission of keeping True Norwegian Black Metal alive – a task which they have never wavered in. From their 2009 opus Revellations Of The Black Flame onwards, they lost a bit of their initial rawness but they certainly ramped up the nastiness and terror at the same time.
On to The Wolf And The King. This album title comes from a classic alchemical allegory: A wolf devours a king. Then the wolf is devoured by flames, and a new king rises from the ashes. It’s a metaphor for personal development, according to vocalist, Ravn. “You want to be the best you can be, and that’s what we try to do as well”, he said. “We try to top ourselves, to kill our egos in order to grow as persons. If you don’t do that, you will die. You will not rise from the ashes.” It feels like a good analogy for this band that has kept true to the core elements that they set out with, whilst getting stronger and more fearsome with every album.
Opening track The God Devourer sets the tone instantly with a blistering wall of sound, scything guitars and the dark sense of foreboding one would expect from 1349. Ash Of Ages follows with a slow, plundering rhythm and sinister march, with Ravn‘s ominous rasps meandering above the volcanic wreckage. There is a strong element of classic thrash metal at the heart of Archaon‘s guitar playing style, with dirty headbanging riffs and furious solos straight out of the original SLAYER playbook.
Shadow Point feels heavy on the bass, and with a creeping heaviness and, at times, a feeling of chaos. Inferior Pathways hurtles along at full force, unrelenting in its hideously blackened aural attack. In stark contrast, Inner Portal takes a moments breath – in the way one might hold back before entering a haunted and crumbling old building – before unleashing hell. The Vessel And The Storm is cold and unsettling, rattling forth with blastbeats aplenty and a general feeling of carnage, while Obscura is brimming with a sense of malevolence that’s rather hypnotic.
1349 have always set the bar high, and this eighth album doesn’t disappoint. It is steeped high with subterranean filth, decay and darkness – what more could you want?
Rating: 9/10
The Wolf And The King is out now via Season Of Mist.
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