This was one of my and no doubt many others most anticipated releases of the year and I had been following its development closely. One thing I wasn’t really expecting was an album quite of its scope, as ‘Lawless Darkness’ weighs in at a massive 73 minutes. Although for reviewing purposes I have had to give it quite a few spins to get to the essence of what it contains (and I do not mean that I have mastered it by any means) after this and when I have bought the disc it probably will only be played fleetingly on special occasions. It is not an everyday album by any means and is indeed rather special.
The Swedish trio have been proclaimed by many as being one of the most relevant bands playing black metal in the current climate and I can only agree with these sentiments. This is their fourth album now and they have been getting better with each release. Their live shows are second to none even if they do stink like the pits of hell and having interviewed singer E I can only say that he is one of the most genuine yet humble people I have had the pleasure to chat with.
Chaos ensues and light goes out from the offset. After an ominous clank, the might behind ‘Death’s Cold Dark’ unfolds in a welter of blazing guitars. However the song contrasts this blazing incendiary with slower doom laden passages and the two facets duel with a punk laden bouncing section also rearing its ugly head. This opener is a hammer-smash to the face with a real memorable charge to it. A sinister guitar passage leads into ‘Malfeitor’ and a ghastly vocal cry belches forth as the guitar and bass strum headlong into vile fury. There is a lot going on here and the three main players E, P & H are in total harmony as a unit and the songs are majestically powerful as they bristle in their orthodox, ritualistic tumult; over which a fantastic grasp of melody reigns supremely. ‘Reaping Death’ is the song that got a bit of attention being previewed before release and brought out as a CD single. Again it’s a powerful sermon with some full on feral parts, literally tearing out the jugular before slowing to gloat in jubilation over the bloody remains left in their wake.
‘Wolf’s Curse’ has some nice atmospheric howls and another killer chorus about it. Watain grasp a subject matter that could be taken into parody and treat it seriously. This is the sound of full on murderous lycanthropy and no romantic treatise on limp blood sucking legend, wearing a frilly shirt and peeling out layers of pompous keyboard. Some of the guitar work just has a classic Swedish black metal feel to it and the title track in particular is wholly evocative to Dissection, not that this is any great surprise. Funnily enough it’s only now on eighth or so listen to the album and really fixating on it that I realise this one is actually an instrumental. Some of these songs are going to rip live, ‘Total Funeral’ sticks out as it whiplashes along, madly intent on causing carnage. Personally I am hoping to catch the band three times over the next few months.
Thematically with all this talk of death and funerals it’s quite a morbid album and one hopes that none of the band members have any thoughts of following in Jon Nödtveidt’s tragic footsteps. This is especially in mind on looking into final track, the mammoth, labyrinthine ‘Waters of Ain,’ a song E has mentioned as being composed to be played at his funeral. One would not want to say that Watain have put together their lifetime achievement with this album or point out that most funerals only play the first couple of minutes of songs normally, at this point in time. Anyway it is a fascinating number and one I am not going to spoil apart from mentioning a small contribution from the singer of one of my other favourite bands Fields Of The Nephilim’s Carl McCoy. To say this, his first ever guest appearance has upset many devout followers of the band on their forum would be an understatement but for me it’s a perfect match and those of you without quite such blinkered musical standpoints should certainly appreciate it too.
I won’t even bother trying to do a hard sell, I’m buying this without a moments hesitation as soon as it’s released on June 7th, the music talks for itself. Watain are one of the most serious bands out there, living the life and creating the music they want to. ‘Lawless Darkness’ is a glorious epoch of the unruly, chaotic and uncertain times we live in, until in the very shortness of time, that light ceases to exist.
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