CELESTIAL LINEAGE

America has been a breeding ground for atmospheric black metal in recent years, and arguably the band at the forefront of this resurgence is Washington's Wolves In The Throne Room. The band's unique and majestic brand of black metal music has garnered quite a bit of hype in recent years, but it wasn't until the release of Celestial Lineage that I've finally had the opportunity to give these guys a shot. Right off the bat, two things are very clear about Wolves In The Room - this is a truly ambitious group of musicians and they definitely know how to craft thought provoking black metal music. Celestial Lineage is an epic, atmospheric, and majestic journey through the most chilling and beautiful compositions that modern black metal has to offer.

Musically, Celestial Lineage is an interesting blend of old school black metal, dark ambient, and even shoegaze with plenty of psychedelic textures and progressive nuances. Though Wolves In The Throne Room could best be described as progressive/atmospheric black metal, their sound differs tremendously from the likes of Fen, Enslaved, Shining, and other leaders of more progressive-minded black metal music. The long, brooding compositions all feature epic synthesizers, furious riffs, and tortured black metal vocals - though not every moment of Celestial Lineage is remarkable, bone-chilling tracks like 'Woodland Cathedral' send shivers up my spine every time I hear them. I absolutely love the epic and progressive edge that Wolves In The Throne Room gives to their raw black metal roots, and the result is nothing short of a spectacular album.

Celestial Lineage is an exceptional effort from this Washington-based act, and their unique sound and gifted capabilities as songwriters is sure to impress fans of progressive-minded black metal. While I do think a few sections are drawn out a bit too long, there's hardly any weak moments at all on Celestial Lineage - I've had a great pleasure listening to this demanding and mature work of art. 4 stars are warranted for this highly recommended observation.