Watain "The Wild Hunt" CD

It is time to bring the rage of ancient storm breeding inside the darkened soul and take the world apart. It is time for Watain’s fifth full length, “The Wild Hunt”, to hunt the false worshiper from the followers. Sounds progressive? Come on, they are not the feeble. Then why do you want to hear the same stuff over and over again?
“The Wild Hunt” is the most progressive offering from Watain till now, as hints were given in “Waters of Ain” on previous album “Lawless Darkness”. The total change in sound might displease some of the fans out there, but honestly, they still have that utter darkness present in their sound. The icy storm wind still blows inside your mind while listening to this album. “The Wild Hunt” is not a shit at all, and requires broaden outlook to enjoy the essence of this opus magnum.
What this album has to offer? Well, 11 pieces of verse to enchant yourself with luciferian darkness. As mentioned before, the sound of Watain has changed completely to a progressive direction. The guitars have now more epic notes. The riff structure has sharp progression in chords; change in scales, basically staying in mid to higher mid tones. The use of acoustic guitar in the background adds a new level to the sound. The best examples include “The Child Must Die” and “They Rode On”. The bass guitar is distorted, but still audible. The higher bass lines enhance the atmosphere, which makes the album sounding more epic. Its turn for drums, which are not your typical blast beats. Mostly throughout the album, the drums stay in slow to mid pace. But It doesn’t mean that you will hear no black metal drumming. The drum tracks are written to suit the music and the atmosphere of the album, so drumming here is not full of pounding garbage. The vocals need a special attention. Eric Danielsson has tried many things this time. Apart from his typical screeching vocal, the use of clean voice is noticeable. The song “They Rode On” contains no harsh vocal part. Eric has delivered screeches, clean vocals, whispers, chants, what not? The vocal performance is amazingly great in this album. The production quality of this album is pretty high, as you hear everything clearly. The clear production doesn’t ruin the album’s freezing and dark atmosphere.
“The Wild Hunt” has everything required to please a black metal fan. Watain have tried not to repeat the same thing again, and they are successful in this offering too. The listener should have the devotion to make this ritual a complete one. That’s all. Recommended.

Official promo video: 

Sample: