Liste der Bands Black Metal Wolvhammer Clawing into Black Sun

Black metal today has become such an abstract concept. What once was a genre that was equivalent to punk among the metal scene, has now been incorporated among every aspect of metal. You would think, that the TRVE crowd would be ecstatic with the notion of black being open and accessible to a greater crowd, thus creating a segue for future recruitment into the TRVE regime. Come to find out, they hate the very idea of their threads integrating among the greater fabric of metal, much like the decrepit and withering thread of deathcore that birthed the breakdown causing great disdain and hostility among the death metal elitists’. It is understandable and respectable to fret the unknown especially if it is done distastefully, so as a warning if you’re TRVE and dislike the fundamentals being tinkered with, then this band is not for you.
Wolvhammer, has had a decent history taking on an amalgamation of genres and creating a tight cohesive sound that is refreshing to the ears. In 2010, Black Marketeers of World War III, had done just enough to turn some heads with their grim black metal riffs interlaced with a punk rock mentality. Sounds that reminisce of old school black metal with interludes of post-hardcore and sludge riffs keeps the listeners attention to await what the band will conjure next. Admirable as it may be to listen to a band concoct such a tenacious sound using such contrasting elements, the band succeeded in creating a piece of work that is hard to classify.
In 2011, The Obsidian Plains, had shifted gears. This album had outdone their previous releases by dismantling the ideologies of genre by convincing their audience that the only true spite within their music is through their presentation. The use of tremolo picking of the post-rock persuasion had ingrained imagery of organic beauty within the scorched disentangled canvas that only the bass can contrast. During a time where metal had become generic in sound, Wolvhammer was the hero that metal needed to show that originality still exists.
It is now 2014 and Wolvhammer has given us another album. Clawing into Black Sun still uses the same variables within their complex equation, yet within this record there is a definite change within their mannerisms. The opening track The Silver Key, opens rather softly and later kicks open the crypt gates with unfamiliarity and mediocrity. Guitars echo with minimal overdriven rock sounds that compliment a bass that lurks behind the shadows of the crystal clear production. A rather slow start that feels like this album may be a journey that must be trudged through rather than inviting. The second track, also being their self-titled song, has worn out the annoyance of a journey and has now become a bleak trek where death and ash grace the listener with its presence. Clean vocals echo like a Gregorian chant, the slow tempo mixed with thundering rock and roll beats that the drums produce give heed to the maturity of the band.
Slaves to the Grime drops the melody for tenacity and volume, while the fatty Lethe takes an awkward transition from the true saviors of the album. The Desanctification, a slow heavy hitting piece that takes you back to the last two albums. A slow paced song that that saves the brutality for the final impending moments where the black takes its rightful throne while the blasting drums play like an anthem as it takes its final perch. In Reverence, brings back the post-punk groove that gives the album a sip of momentary grace before returning to the overwhelming bleak atmosphere.
Wolvhammer has been rather eloquent in execution when playing music of this caliber, using many genres to keep a wide array of people happy, and never making one genre standout more than the other. Many will classify them as black, but be weary when making claims for this album is living proof that black is not the frame or foundation for their sound, but rather an aspect or inspiration. The change in sound, pace and overall simplicity of this album is yet another refreshing change and shows maturity of the band. But simplicity within their complex array makes this a rather hard album to listen to. The album surpasses the last two in quality, but in quantity this album lacks the excitement that grasped our crap infested ears. Repeated listens are needed for this album, but will the masses be able to endure it after being acclimated to an already high standard?