Wode are a UK black metal band formed little over a decade ago who quietly honed their craft before releasing a well-received debut album in 2016. They quickly followed it with another album of remarkable quality in 2017, before going a bit quiet for a couple of years.
Returning with their third album, Wode still deliver their established brand of classic British black metal in the vein of Thus Defiled and Necronautical. However, they’ve spiced things up a bit this time by taking further influence from traditional metal, bringing a dirty, riff-driven flavour similar to the approaches taken by Watain, Nightbringer and their ilk.
Tucking into some of the songs then; opener “Lunar Madness” sets out their stall with its simple hooks, rasping vocals and spiralling central melody, before switching gears to the filthy black n’ roll groove of “Serpents Coil”. “Fire In The Hills” boasts an clean picked atmospheric minor key intro, unfortunately on this track in particular the lack of dynamism in the drums is most prevalent, though they maintain a solid workman-like presence regardless… I s’pose this is more of an observation than a criticism, as showboating percussive work would feel somewhat alien here.
Album closer “Streams Of Rapture” consists of three parts: Part I is a dungeon synth-esque intro which fades out, before Part II conveys the main body of this track, no-nonsense fast-paced filthy riffage that is brought to a crescendo by a Tom Araya-esque scream. The final part of the ten-minute opus is a slower doomy, reflective passage that carries an atmosphere of hope and redemption.
What Wode lack in flair and originality, they more than make up for with focused songcraft and musicianship, adding yet another excellent album to their catalogue.
(8/10 Doogz)
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