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Watain: The Wild Hunt

WATAIN: THE WILD HUNT

   It has been fifteen years in the making. Not the album, but the moment. The moment that the darkest shadow of the underground finally crept upon the surface. The time of Watain has now begun, all hail the new kings of black. 
   Black-Metal elitists and those of musically open mind may disagree and descend into feud on most occasions, but this is a time and place where neither of their opinions are relevant. Those of closed mind or of a traditionalist nature may not appreciate the excellence of The Wild Hunt, but that has no impact on the truth. The truth that both Watain and their latest creation are heading for monumental success, regardless of peoples opinions.
  Submerging into the majestic ambient brilliance of intro "Night Vision", a calm-before-the-storm feeling is created. The intro has the affect of building up the tension sufficiently for the eruption of "De Profundis", a track as true and black as anything Watain have created before. The onslaught continues through "Black Flames March", lead-single "All That May Bleed" and the disturbingly morbid nature of "The Child Must Die". All of which affirm the fact that The Wild Hunt is a masterpiece and Watain are the masters. What comes next is equivalent to being thrown in at the deep end, then forced under by an unhallowed force of other-worldly origin. "They Rode On" is a clean-sung, melodic and harmonious breath taker. Stretching across eight minuets, this song arrives unexpectedly and without any warning, leaving only questions in its wake. Question like, why hasn't Eric Danielsson displayed his awe inspiring clean vocal capabilities in this manner before? Despite The Wild Hunt's momentum being completely crushed, following track "Sleepless Evil" chases the albums vibe back into a far heavier, blacker and darker place. Title track "The Wild Hunt" makes it abundantly clear that the calmer melodic side of Watain was not a one-off appearance, its a side that is here to stay. What follows the title track is possibly the grooviest Black-Metal song ever to adorn a record. "Outlaw" certainly isn't your average track of Black-God worship. Closing track "Holocaust Dawn" is a far more traditional Black-Metal offering. 
   Packed with far more than just fuzzed riffs, blast-beat drumming and demonic snarls, this is not one for the elitists. The authentic Black-Metal sound is certainly still present on every track, its just the strength of the sound that varies. Some may argue that melody and cosmic harmonic passages do not belong in Black-metal. Of course, those people are very wrong. Black-Metal will evolve just like most other sub-genres have, and Watain will be the band to lead Black-Metal into a new age. 



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