Wolves in the Throne Room are a band I’ve had a long fascination with owing to them being the first atmospheric black metal act to pass my ears and were among the first left wing bands from the ever-expanding black metal world. They along with acts like Iskra and Spectral Lore made me aware of black metal that is not shady in any form and suits my anarcho-communist ideals.

I would also say their output over their 20-year career has been somewhat versatile having made some of the most hypnotic atmospherics and then went full on drone with Celestite (2014). Being able to move from outspoken black metal to instrumental ecology and back again gave these guys from Washington state their staying power as well as making me and my friends aware of Caledonia and its history, culture and tortured relationship with the West Coast and Canada.

Nature is a very common theme in this band’s repertoire and whilst it isn’t prevalent on the lyrics on new EP “Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge” there is plenty of audible imagery to conjure up an endless vista of trees, bushes and countless mythical animals that makes anyone interested in fantasy fiction happy. Hearing “Beholden to Clan” made me feel as if I were wandering across a misty marshland in search of a far-away land, and the adventure continues on “Twin Mouthed Spirit” that covers chaotic themes of storms, hardship and the band’s everlasting battle against the establishment.

We are then given a 9-minute outro with the second half of the record being wholly instrumental. I’m not sure why they chose this sort of arrangement but it was good to see how the band can make the spine tingle regardless of vocals. WITTR are a truly subtle band in their politics, themes and attitude that made them a little different to the rest of the American black metal scene over the last 20 years.

I’d say this is another solid release but not quite as radical as other routes they’ve explored over the last decade.

(7.5/10 Demitri Levantis)

https://www.facebook.com/wolvesinthethroneroom

https://wolvesinthethroneroom.bandcamp.com/album/crypt-of-ancestral-knowledge