Wuthering Heights - Salt

May 29, 2010

Wuthering Heights is one those bands, that at times, has metalheads scratching their heads - just not sure what to make of what’s going on; “to refuge or to ruin” as so eloquently stated in the first song, “Away!” from their new album, Salt. The band’s fifth release finds them taking everything they have done before, throwing it in a blender, amping up the speed, and with a helping of cheekiness, have boldly re-envisioned our kaleidoscopic view of metal. So depending on your perspective, this is either “sweet refuge” or “devastating ruin”. I’m totally on board with the former.

Mind you, not everything here works as well as it should but in the band’s defense, the minor imperfections enhance the record’s character and individuality. So in that spirit, let’s focus on what makes this a great record. Nils Patrik Johansson breathlessly races like a “Desperate Poet” in wild abandon; caught up in wholly entertaining us with enthralling tales of life on the high seas from yesteryear through a multitude of vocal characterizations and gyrations.  All the while, the rest of Wuthering Heights is like a band of “Mad Sailors” reenacting and creating aural backdrops of wonderment through exciting dynamics that jolt us with every choppy wave that crashes on our ears. You had better be prepared to sink or swim.

“Away!” beckons us with the enticing gang chant of “Roll, Roll, Roll” (just a quibble here; I wonder if the band actually meant “Row, Row, Row”?) which slowly gives way to Nils seductively questioning, “Do you hear the waves? The waves are calling us; to refuge or ruin!”. An onslaught of delirious and swirling guitar runs ensue; literally bringing to life the lyrical line “whirlwinds unfurl”. While not all songs are about seafarers, there are broad thematic commonalities drawn between one’s life journey and that of an old salt’s profession. Tempo changes abound in the tortured “The Desperate Poet”. A man who has lost his muse is reduced to utter desperation. Nils wrangles out every line with apt anxiety and despondency as if he too, has knowingly experienced: “My pen should be on fire, but it's not igniting!”. Musically, Erik Ravn has surely composed one of the year’s most absorbing and memorable speedy little exercises in melodic power metal.

The manic pace continues with the delightfully schizophrenic “The Mad Sailor” which is spun around an infectious sing-a-long chorus, buoyed by an accordion and acoustic guitars. The folkier “The Last Tribe (Mother Earth)” simply raises the album to epic proportions with its alternating acoustic passages during the verses and instrument heavy choruses replete with layered vocals extolling the virtues of Mother Nature. The neoclassically inspired guitar work dances alongside and within the melody line with quicksilver speed. The feeling of exhilaration manifests itself here and throughout the next three songs, bouncing along like a stone skipping across a large puddle of water. All full of vitality and immediacy. The one respite from the dizzying whirlwind of cacophony comes in the form of the pub flavored “Water of Life” with its enchanting and mellow vibe. It may be short but is much needed, in order to gear up for the final track.  Yes, to the end we have come and “Lost at Sea” displays the undeniable prowess of all the members; allowing each, ample opportunity, to imbue the sixteen plus minute song with their own unique talents. Considerably dense and mesmerizing, it never fails, in its expansive scope, in completing the arc set forth by “Away!”.

Wuthering Heights has yet again treated us to a relevant and challenging view of their world. It’s one that makes us pause and contemplate the trials and tribulations encountered in this life and how we decide to resolve them. Wisdom comes from those experiences and this album is chock full of musical and lyrical enlightenment. Take it from me; it’s worth its Salt.

Release Date: April 12th, 2010
Label: Sensory Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Away!
2.  The Desperate Poet
3.  The Mad Sailor
4.  The Last Tribe (Mother Earth)
5.  Tears
6.  Weather the Storm
7.  The Field
8.  Water of Life
9.  Lost at Sea

Total playing time:  59:38

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Reviewer: M.J.

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