Wolves in the Throne Room Diadem of 12 Stars
Vendlus Records Vend013 February 5th, 2006
By Jason Jordan
Many of the accolades, that other USBM groups are receiving, deserve to be thrown in the general vicinity of Wolves in the Throne Room, rather than forcing them to scavenge for their own dried-up carcasses of praise. If anything, this trio prove they can hang with any of their North American peers, and Diadem of 12 Stars is quite a manifestation for the patient black metal listener who likes glints of folk. Not only is it a monster of a record, which effortlessly taps the one-hour mark, but its also the debut from a criminally underrated act.
Lets talk background first, though. This Washington-based alliance have always been compared to Weakling, so I for one wasnt blindsided when Tim Green (The Fucking Champs) decided to both record and master this outing. The bits and pieces of folk or the organic sections in general remind me of early Ulver, Woods of Ypres, and Agalloch, though folk is most assuredly not the captain of this ship. Aided by guest vocalists Jamie (Hammers of Misfortune) and Dino (Asunder), Wolves in the Throne Room strengthened their offensive by utilizing the services of the performers listed above. As I said earlier, however, Diadem of 12 Stars requires a patient absorber not an antsy one who gets off on short songs, breakneck speed, or any mixture of the two. Frankly, these guys are rickety when the speed crosses a certain threshold, and youll probably notice it when it happens. But lets dwell on the highlights.
Queen of the Borrowed Light an opus which originally appeared on 2005 Demo simply radiates the USBM feel at first with its ominous, discordant beginning. It then transitions into a comfortably paced number, bringing to mind visions of a lush forest (cover art at work?) while the soothing background vocals rope the listener in with ease. Perhaps the strongest asset of Wolves in the Throne Room is their ability to vary the tempo by tearing it down and building it up systematically, or maybe its their otherworldliness established by sheer hypnotism. I mean, this stuff casts trances and hexes and spells at will, man! The clean female vox on Part 1 of Face in a Night Time Mirror are striking, brilliant in scope and execution. The merging just plain works, and the two-part composition is antagonistic and despondent still, its inviting in all its misanthropic glory. There are too many impressive spots to cite only one. Plus, the strained vocals are exceptional, especially since the regular distorted growls arent really that noteworthy. (A Shimmering Radiance) Diadem of 12 Stars another one from 2005 Demo has been shortened for Diadem of 12 Stars, but clocks in at 20 minutes despite its recent trim. And yes, it is essentially a culmination of all the attributes weve heard previously.
If I were to pinpoint a major vulnerability within this USBM body, then Id immediately call out the enormous length. While 60 minutes sounds pretty good for someone who likes to get his/her moneys worth, its not as approachable or manageable when only four songs occupy the albums breadth no tune is less than 13 minutes. In short, Wolves in the Throne Room are daunting. And this is black metal, so it follows that its not for everyone. Nonetheless, Diadem of 12 Stars isnt meant to be consumed absentmindedly or in short bursts; youve gotta corner the fucker, wrestle it into submission, or die trying. In any case, though, this is a fine collection of black metal, and is probably one of the better ones well see this year. Arguably WitTR deserve as much of the spotlight as their US counterparts, but Im sure theyll steal some of it with a substantive full-length under their belts. Unchain the Wolves indeed.
8/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Wolves in the Throne Room Website
Official Vendlus Records Website
Vendlus Records Vend013 February 5th, 2006
By Jason Jordan
Many of the accolades, that other USBM groups are receiving, deserve to be thrown in the general vicinity of Wolves in the Throne Room, rather than forcing them to scavenge for their own dried-up carcasses of praise. If anything, this trio prove they can hang with any of their North American peers, and Diadem of 12 Stars is quite a manifestation for the patient black metal listener who likes glints of folk. Not only is it a monster of a record, which effortlessly taps the one-hour mark, but its also the debut from a criminally underrated act.
Lets talk background first, though. This Washington-based alliance have always been compared to Weakling, so I for one wasnt blindsided when Tim Green (The Fucking Champs) decided to both record and master this outing. The bits and pieces of folk or the organic sections in general remind me of early Ulver, Woods of Ypres, and Agalloch, though folk is most assuredly not the captain of this ship. Aided by guest vocalists Jamie (Hammers of Misfortune) and Dino (Asunder), Wolves in the Throne Room strengthened their offensive by utilizing the services of the performers listed above. As I said earlier, however, Diadem of 12 Stars requires a patient absorber not an antsy one who gets off on short songs, breakneck speed, or any mixture of the two. Frankly, these guys are rickety when the speed crosses a certain threshold, and youll probably notice it when it happens. But lets dwell on the highlights.
Queen of the Borrowed Light an opus which originally appeared on 2005 Demo simply radiates the USBM feel at first with its ominous, discordant beginning. It then transitions into a comfortably paced number, bringing to mind visions of a lush forest (cover art at work?) while the soothing background vocals rope the listener in with ease. Perhaps the strongest asset of Wolves in the Throne Room is their ability to vary the tempo by tearing it down and building it up systematically, or maybe its their otherworldliness established by sheer hypnotism. I mean, this stuff casts trances and hexes and spells at will, man! The clean female vox on Part 1 of Face in a Night Time Mirror are striking, brilliant in scope and execution. The merging just plain works, and the two-part composition is antagonistic and despondent still, its inviting in all its misanthropic glory. There are too many impressive spots to cite only one. Plus, the strained vocals are exceptional, especially since the regular distorted growls arent really that noteworthy. (A Shimmering Radiance) Diadem of 12 Stars another one from 2005 Demo has been shortened for Diadem of 12 Stars, but clocks in at 20 minutes despite its recent trim. And yes, it is essentially a culmination of all the attributes weve heard previously.
If I were to pinpoint a major vulnerability within this USBM body, then Id immediately call out the enormous length. While 60 minutes sounds pretty good for someone who likes to get his/her moneys worth, its not as approachable or manageable when only four songs occupy the albums breadth no tune is less than 13 minutes. In short, Wolves in the Throne Room are daunting. And this is black metal, so it follows that its not for everyone. Nonetheless, Diadem of 12 Stars isnt meant to be consumed absentmindedly or in short bursts; youve gotta corner the fucker, wrestle it into submission, or die trying. In any case, though, this is a fine collection of black metal, and is probably one of the better ones well see this year. Arguably WitTR deserve as much of the spotlight as their US counterparts, but Im sure theyll steal some of it with a substantive full-length under their belts. Unchain the Wolves indeed.
8/10
UMs Review Rating Scale
Official Wolves in the Throne Room Website
Official Vendlus Records Website
