Wolves In The Throne Room- Celestial Lineage

The tension worldwide is palpable as Wolves In The Throne Room prepare to release their fourth full length album Celestial Lineage (Southern Lord). Expectations for this album are high to say the least. WITTR quickly rose to prominence with their 2007 LP Two Hunters. The band toured rigorously behind the critically acclaimed album, and played a well documented show at Roadburn in Holland. Black Cascade was released in 2009 and was far more aggressive and visceral than it’s predecessor. This is the album everyone expected WITTR to make after Two Hunters, but fans were handed the violent, albeit still excellent, curveball that was Black Cascade. Now with Celestial Lineage, Wolves complete the trilogy started with Two Hunters.

Celestial Lineage takes the ethereal sound of Two Hunters and amplifies it. Each of the album’s 7 tracks are packed with lush sonic detail; keyboards, guest musicians, samples, and acoustic instrumentation all brought to life by recording engineer extraordinaire Randall Dunn. The album’s opener, the twelve minute ‘Thuja Magus Imperium,’ begins with what should now be the instantly recognizable voice of collaborator Jessika Kenney. Her incredible melodic vocals call to mind sun streams beaming through the tree tops of the Cascadian forests. This is one of the things that makes WITTR so special. They create a world for their music to exist in. Their artwork, press photos, lyrics and choice of collaborators all help to create an aura that is instantly recognizable and unique to them. ‘Thuja…’ sets the tone for the rest of the album. The instrumentation is aggressive, yet highly melodic. Guitar riffs are often backed by keyboard lines. The vocals are powerful rather than hateful. They will inspire you to find a singing coach for yourself.

Aaron Turner (formerly of Isis and currently of Mamiffer and House of Low Culture among many others) contributes vocals to two tracks, as well as art and design elements to the album packaging. His vocal contribution on ‘Permanent Changes In Consciousness’ is similar to his work on the last Twilight album Monument to Time End (Southern Lord). Turner’s voice calls to mind the chanting of monks. His clean baritone is duplicated, layered and reverberated to the point where it sounds like it’s emanating from a deep well. His addition to the album ads an extra layer of magic to an album already brimming with it. ‘Permanent Changes…,’ and ‘Rainbow Illness’ both fall under two minutes, and work as breathers between the album’s five proper tracks.

What makes this album such a compelling listen is that the songwriting is impeccable. Wolves have long since proved that they can write incredible music with just guitar, bass, vocals and drums. The band took what were already well crafted songs and added layer upon layer of aural stimulation to the point where each song is radiant with sound. The album stripped to its bare elements would be an achievement in itself, but it’s Kenney and Turner’s vocals, the acoustic percussion and the gorgeous harp that makes an appearance on ‘Astral Blood’ that push the album to levels of sonic bliss.

On Celestial Lineage, Wolves In The Throne Room have created their masterpiece. It’s a fitting end to the trilogy. If the band decides that this will be their last album, it will be a more than fitting career summation. There are a handful of bands who do the atmospheric black metal sound, and do it extremely well. But WITTR have tapped into something that resonates in the hearts and minds of many. With this new album, the band continues to push them to the top of their genre and differentiate them from their peers.

Celestial Lineage comes out Spetember 13, 2011 on Southern Lord. Click below for a list of live dates.

8/28/2011 Olympia, WA [check wittr.com for location]
8/31/2011 Minneapolis, MN [check wittr.com for location]
9/01/2011 Reggie’s Rock Club – Chicago, IL

9/02/2011 Rudyard Kipling – Louisville, KY
9/03/2011 The Mockbee – Cincinnati, OH w/ Thou

9/04/2011 Ravari Room – Columbus, OH w/ Thou
9/05/2011 Olde Jamestowne Hall – Saginaw, MI w/ Thou
9/06/2011 Soybomb HQ – Toronto, ON w/ Thou
9/08/2011 Death Church – Montreal, QC w/ Thou

9/09/2011 Northfield, VT [check wittr.com for location]
9/10/2011 Deering Grange Hall – Portland, ME
9/11/2011 Parking lot of 39 Manton Ave – Providence, RI w/ Thou
9/12/2011 The Bell House – Brooklyn, NY w/ Thou
9/15/2011 Broad Street Ministries – Philadelphia, PA w/ Megaton Leviathan, Vit, Woe
9/16/2011 Bethlehem, PA [venue disclosed with ticket purchase] w/ Megaton Leviathan
9/17/2011 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA w/ Megaton Leviathan
9/18/2011 Legitimate Business – Greensboro NC w/ Mt. Eerie, Megaton Leviathan
9/20/2011 JD’s – Sheffield, AL w/ Megaton Leviathan
9/21/2011 The Little Hamilton – Nashville, TN w/ Megaton Leviathan
9/22/2011 Club 529 – Atlanta, GA w/ Megaton Leviathan
9/23/2011 The Chop Shop – St Petersburg, FL w/ Megaton Leviathan
9/24/2011 The Farside Collective – Tallahassee, FL w/ Megaton Leviathan
9/25/2011 Nowe Miasto – New Orleans, LA w/ Thou, Megaton Leviathan

9/27/2011 Red 7 – Austin, TX w/ Megaton Leviathan

9/28/2011 Lola’s Saloon – Fort Worth, TX w/ Garuda, Megaton Leviathan

9/30/2011 Rhinoceropolis – Denver, CO

10/01/2011 Salt Lake city, UT [check wittr.com for location]

10/02/2011 Visual Arts Collective – Boise, ID

10/03/2011 New Frontier Outdoors – Tacoma, WA