Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Avant Garde

Wolves in the Throne Room – Celestite
Review.Stream.Footage

When I heard that Wolves in The Throne Room were going to release a new full-length, I was thrilled. And this excitement only increased when it was mentioned that their new album, Celestite, would act as a companion to their previous full-length, Celestial Lineage. And why should I not be? This band, in my mind, has always released great albums, from Diadem of 12 Starts, Two Hunters, Black Cascade to Celestial Lineage, I was never disappointed with what they did. But Celestite is not your typical Wolves in The Throne Room album, and it is quite different from anything they have done up until now.

OK, so what is the deal with Celestite? It is basically what the band said it would be: a companion to Celestial Lineage. Wolves in the Throne Room leave behind their black metal identity for this one — I know it does not sound plausible, but it still happened. Well, at least they leave behind their black metal instrumentation. Celestite sees the band taking on synths and parting with guitars and drums, trying to convey their ideas and emotions in a completely different manner than ever before. Now you are going to ask if that is good. Well, it is not bad. To treat Celestite with disdain just because the band is trying something different is not what I am going to do, and even though this was not a move I expected from the band, it does not mean I should trash the record, and neither should you.

10260001_10152105622131134_6124614936778495177_n

In essence, Wolves in The Throne Room are much closer to Pink Floyd in this album than to, let’s say, early Ulver or Darkthrone. Their use of synths is nothing short of grand, with “Turning Ever Towards the Sun” taking you on a majestic trip through space and time, while at the same time keeping a quite malicious and sinister outlook. And as the rest of the tracks unfold you can get glimpses of their true, disturbing nature. For instance, in both “Initiation of Neudeng Alm” — which, by the way, is one of the most distressing moments of Celestite — and in “Celestite Mirror,” you will get some drone guitar parts to enrich the synths, revealing the darkness that always lies at the core of this band.

From that point on, if you are also a fan of psychedelic music, then you will easily appreciate the trippy effects of “Bridges of Leaves” and its spiraling melodies, as well as the inherent darkness of “Celestite Mirror,” which contains some stunning compositions from the band and a very majestic stance. And then you also get the completely insane moments, the moments that you thought you would never hear from Wolves in the Throne Room, as is for instance the part about four minutes in “Sleeping Golden Storm”.

This album is not meant for all the fans of the band, and I am quite sure that the band will be bashed by many people for their decision to try something different. So my guess is that if you want Wolves in the Throne Room to simply be a black metal act releasing only black metal albums, then you better avoid Celestite. On the other hand, if you are into some more experimental stuff, then you should have a listen and judge for yourself. Personally, I think that it is a good album, and a quite enjoyable listen. And I will be looking forward to their next one.

1511109_10152107606096134_782301946008429209_n

10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. William King

    June 20, 2014 at 8:22 am

    Does this sync to the last album?

  2. William King

    June 20, 2014 at 8:22 am

    Does this sync to the last album?

  3. Rex Stilwill

    June 20, 2014 at 7:57 am

    So I like this more than “normal” WITTR…

  4. Rex Stilwill

    June 20, 2014 at 7:57 am

    So I like this more than “normal” WITTR…

  5. Rex Stilwill

    June 20, 2014 at 7:57 am

    So I like this more than “normal” WITTR…

  6. Emile Bojesen

    June 20, 2014 at 1:48 am

    Adrian Cottrell

  7. Rolandas Nematomas

    June 20, 2014 at 1:18 am

    New album’s simply splendid.

  8. Ol Se

    June 20, 2014 at 1:18 am

    Linda Franz

  9. Gisela Garcia

    June 20, 2014 at 1:11 am

    Jose Hernandez

  10. Iván Gallardo

    June 20, 2014 at 1:02 am

    FUCK YES!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Bizarre

via Lazer Horse There’s nothing funny about death really. But there is a lot of certainty to it. There’s not a person who’s ever...

80s Hardcore

Racism is never a joke…Phil Anselmo, you straight fucking played yourself in the eyes of so many, and CVLT Nation will never support you...

Black Metal

During the first year of CVLT Nation, I was turned on to this unreal band from Wales called GHAST. Their release Terrible Cemetery was...

Featured

By Sascha via Behold The Blessed Wax Trial – Moments Of Collapse LP, 1986 This is not a write up about the Straight Edge...

Copyright © 2020 ZoxPress Theme. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by WordPress.