Watain’s first album in four years, the last being 2018’s excellent Trident Wolf Eclipse, The Agony And Ecstasy Of Watain picks up where that album left off. However, while the opening tracks eschew the more progressive sound of The Wild Hunt for a rather more straightforward black metal sound that strips the band down to their raw, primal instincts, as the album unfolds, so the band allow themselves to expand their remit. The result is an album that drags the listener kicking and screaming into its nightmarish world, before adapting its approach to ensure escape is impossible. A cryptic album that requires numerous listens to fully unpick, what is clear is that the ten tracks on offer once again showcase how Watain have continued to evolve both as songwriters and performers.
Opening with Ecstasies In Night Infinite Watain once again showcase their ferocious proficiency, drawing together hyper fast, frozen riffs and fretboard-destroying lead runs with aplomb. At the heart of it all sit Erik Danielsson’s vocals, which are delivered with all the imperious disdain we have come to expect from an artist who lives according to his art. It is a devastating opening and one that shows the band are on fearsome form. The pace does not let up, either, as Watain plunge headlong into the blackened swirl of The Howling. Flawless in its delivery, the band weave just enough melody into proceedings to keep things memorable, even as they batter the listener with their savagery. A slower, more considered piece, Serimosa sees Watain carving out a dark atmosphere that is impressively cinematic in delivery, leading inevitably to the satanic horror of Black Cunt. A multi-faceted, deeply atmospheric piece that nods at points towards early Opeth, Black Cunt is a remarkably effective, hypnotic piece that sacrifices none of its power. Indeed, the numerous changes in tempo and pacing only serve to emphasize the absolute darkness that lies at the song’s core, making it one of the album’s most ambitious pieces. The track is neatly juxtaposed with the relentless battering of Leper’s Grace, which simply obliterates any traces of humanity from the music, the band delivering the track with cold, mechanical precision.
The second half of the album opens with the brief, instrumental Not Sun Nor Man Nor God, which serves as a palette cleanser, allowing for the rampant epic Before The Cataclysm to emerge with real force. With a strangely Waltz-like tempo, Before The Cataclysm ebbs and flows across its seven-minute runtime, drawing the listener into the band’s dark carnival of souls. However, the album reaches its peak with the remarkable, slow-burning masterpiece We Remain. Featuring a guest vocal from Farida Lemouchi (ex-Devil’s Blood, Molasses), the track is a dark folk epic, given remarkable gravitas by Farida’s stunning delivery. It is one of the most ambitious tracks Watain has ever attempted and it elevates the album above the pack with its evocative music and pitch-perfect delivery. The track segues into the savage Funeral Winter – a coruscating blast of pure black metal fury that takes no prisoners, although an eerie mid-section serves to further emphasize the fury of the delivery, while the conclusion is pure heavy metal theatre. This most demonic of albums wraps up with the metallic blood ‘n’ thunder of Septentrion. A fitting conclusion to an album that continually exceeds expectations, Septentrion once more allows just enough melody into proceedings to ensure the track’s lasting appeal, while maintaining a sense of jaw-dropping power that is impossible to ignore. However, this is no mere exercise in might without majesty, and the tempo changes that are spread throughout the piece are deftly used to evoke the ever-changing atmosphere of the frozen north.
In maintaining the aggression of Trident Wolf Eclipse, while allowing the progressive textures of The Wild Hunt to resurface, Watain have crafted an absolute masterpiece. The Agony And Ecstasy Of Watain feels like a reassertion of the band’s identity and it carries with it the same sense of excitement and dedication more typically found on a band’s debut. Performed with remarkable skill and possessed of a fluid grace that allows the music to evoke the frozen terrain of the far north, The Agony And Ecstasy Of Watain is a very special album indeed. 9.5/10
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