WOLFCHANT
- Call of the Black Winds (2011)
Massacre Records
There are countless bands in the pagan and folk metal
genres, and most of them tend to sound far too similar to my ears—or simply
fail to hold my interest, mainly because of the sheer overabundance of such
acts in today’s worldwide metal scene. However, there are always some bright
exceptions, or at least bands that come closer to our personal tastes and
manage to touch us in a more genuine way. One such band is the German
WOLFCHANT.
They may play folk/pagan metal, but they do so in an
exquisite and highly individual manner that, personally, I believe sets them
apart from the vast majority of their contemporaries. Call of the Black Winds
is an impressive opus—a state-of-the-art example of expertly performed and perfectly
executed pagan death/black metal, enriched with all sorts of additional
elements that make the final result both highly addictive and immensely
appealing.
One of the album’s strongest assets is its vocal
diversity. We get three distinct vocal approaches: deep, clean vocals, death
metal growls, and high-pitched black metal screams. Each one brings a different
character to the songs, providing exactly the variety needed while reinforcing
the album’s epic atmosphere. And then there are those moments when certain
tracks adopt an almost tavern-like character, bringing to mind pirates
feasting, drinking, and celebrating in the most glorious fashion!
The melodic lines are beautiful and genuinely
enchanting, but the harsh and aggressive passages are equally effective. They
make your blood pump hard through your veins, filling you with energy,
excitement, and a certain sense of pride. Underneath it all, the rhythm section
provides the ideal foundation upon which every other element is built and
firmly supported.
Call of the Black Winds, to put it simply, is an album
that anyone with a taste for pagan, folk, death, and black metal cannot afford
to miss!
Christine
Parastatidou
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