“… the concept of The Humming Mountain isn't big enough for a full-length album. The concept was something I had to get out of my head”. So says Gaahl, of this enchanting mini-album that his band Gaahls Wyrd have released following the much-lauded debut Gatsir – Ghosts Invited which wrapped its unearthly tendrils around us in 2019.
There may not be enough for a full-length release, but The Humming Mountain contains nearly 30 minutes of atmospheric uniqueness that links conceptually with the previous release. In fact, three of the tracks have been refashioned, destined originally for Ghosts Invited but not fitting conceptually at the time. These three tracks are bookended by The Seed and The Sleep, the former a gentle, slow burn that spans a third of the entire record. Utilising the depths of black metal’s more esoteric elements, which Gaahl has used to great effect in Wardruna, The Seed is a lesson in how to maintain tension. Keyboard, guitar, and effects combine with the unworldly vocal delivery to create a soundscape which its easy to lose oneself in.
Chasmic kaleidoscopes are the order of the day on the three middle tracks, with each conjuring imagery of sweeping glacial landscapes. Contextually, the album focuses on patience in the universal sense, and this slots together both lyrically and musically. The riffs are seismic in proportion, the tempo intense and dramatic. There’s a ferocious blast on The Dwell, which changes the dynamics substantially, reverting to dare I say, a more traditional fiery black metal style. That’s not to say that the other parts of this album don’t draw deep from the genre’s roots for one minute. The blend of haunting gothic and frantic riffing takes centre stage on penultimate song, Awakening Remains - Before Leaving; a huge song that soars high with fantastic melodies and addictive rhythm.
This leads to the finale; the dark and sonically challenging The Sleep which echoes mournfully and closes off the latest release from one of metal’s most intriguing and captivating artists. 8/10
Belgium duo Goat Torment have been making revolting noises since 2008. The band, made up of Kwel on Guitar, Bass and Vocals and Torturer on Drums, have released 2 albums before Forked Tongues; Dominande Tenebrae in 2013 and Sermons To Dark two years later in 2015. When I referred to the band as making Revolting Noises, I was not messing around; Goat Torment play a very fast, savage and very nasty style of Blackened Death Metal, some tracks have the balance closer to Death Metal, some closer to Black Metal, and in many ways this is closest to Black/Death/War metal as it’s so ferocious.
The Wolf Garden – Woven Of Serpent’s Spines (Naturmacht Productions) [Matt Bladen]
At 46 minutes but only 5 tracks, you can understand why I say that Woven Of Serpent’s Tongue is an epic album. Only Quietus, which is essentially an intermission is short, but it is placed in the middle of the album to break up the monolithian slabs of misanthropic, atmospheric black metal that come before and after it. This is the debut full length from The Wolf Garden, the latest project from long British extreme metal veteran Omnio, essentially a solo project for him, the only other member is Valtiel on drums, as Omnio plays everything else. The album is based around the Old English Gods and Norse mythology and musically owes much to those other worshippers of the Old World Winterfylleth. It follows on from the EP The Yawning Abyss, and while that was good, Woven Of Serpent’s Spines feels much more rounded as a release.
The swathes of aggressive tremolo picking, so often fades into patches of haunting keys and strummed clean guitars as the first track The Flood (Seeress) features a spoken word passage from Marina “Toyota Maus” Lai. It is an ideal introduction to The Wolf Garden version of what atmospheric black metal is, creating ominous but ethereal soundscapes. Another Crows Beneath The Earth, has yet more light and shade, but pairs this with a more anthemic directness and a Gothic synth heavy coda towards the end as the savagery returns before turning into that haunting intermission that ably shifts back into gear for the excellent The Silence Between The Stars a song that creates a wonderfully chilling aura combined with a forcefulness from Valtiel’s expressive drumming and the additional keys of Sumarbrander. So many one man projects can be a bit lacklustre but The Wolf Garden isn’t Omnio has mastery over all the instruments he plays, his voice is just raw enough but still understandable.
But what really wins you over is the composition of this album, the use of light and shade, noise and quiet, it makes it a joy to experience. As the album climaxes with The Drought (Weavess), you feel the need to start the record again to pick out the nuances you missed earlier, though this track is also wonderfully dense in musicianship even featuring some ‘ghost vocals’ from Katrina Turk. Praise to the Old Gods with Woven Of Serpent’s Spines. 8/10