Wodensthrone - Loss

August 2, 2010

The recent “surge” of black metal in the United Kingdom for the last year or so has seen upstarts such as Winterfylleth and Wodensthrone make their marks on the music scene.  Reasonable hype has surrounded both bands and with such expectations, one would have to brace for a letdown.  Such would be the case for Wodensthrone, especially if the listener only listens to the album Loss once or twice.

The opening song “Fyrgenstréam” is a dark, moody spoken word intro that lays the foundation for Wodensthrone’s style of music.  Often, once the album is finished, the listener will have a difficult time figuring out what they just heard.  Loss isn’t something that you can put on as background music like Celestiial, where you can listen to it while doing something else and slowly garner what is going on in the music.  In fact, Loss practically demands all of your attention, though not necessarily in the “it’s that good” sense.  With a rather complicated approach to black metal, it can take quite a few listens before the listener can fully grasp what Loss is trying to convey.  Once the listener can grasp what is going on, Loss is a rather atmospheric album that utilizes keyboards well without going overboard and mixes them with a little acoustic guitar and black metal elements, as evidenced on “Heófungtid.”  The vocals are somewhat standard fare as far as the genre is concerned, nothing really standing out in that regard.  There are four tracks (which is half of the album) that go over the ten minute mark, so this album is definitely not for those with short attention spans or the impatient.  The cover art, which depicts a dark forest with a sun setting down on it, paints an accurate description of the music in that as the album goes on, the music gets darker in its mood.

Like many black metal albums, Wodensthrone is an acquired taste.  Its music will remind many of bands such as Azrael, Celestiial, and Horna for its atmospheric elements within a black metal setting.  Wodensthrone will also stretch the limits of one’s patience and understanding, as Loss is one of the more complex albums to figure out.  Having complete focus on the album is essential if one hopes to figure out everything that Wodensthrone is about, but there is much to be gained from the album.  I give this album three out of five, but if you’re patient enough to sit through the album many times, then feel free to bump up the score a point.

Release Date: August 2009
Label: Bindrune Recordings

TRACK LISTING

1.  Fyrgenstréam
2.  Leódum On Lande
3.  Heófungtid
4.  Those That Crush the
     Roots of Blood
5.  Black Moss
6.  Upon These Stones
7.  Pillar of the Sun
8.  That Which is Now
     Forgotten - 597

Total playing time:  01:09:34

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*Comments:

Reviewer: Peter