Hailing from South Africa (in particular, Cape Town), Wildernessking are a four-piece who deal in a mesmerising mix of black and post-black metal. Written over a lengthy period between 2012-13 and recorded in 2014, ‘Mystical future’ is an atmospheric piece of music that veers closer to Cult of Luna than Darkthrone. With two different sleeves (depending on whether you buy CD or Vinyl), ‘mystical future’ is represented by the band either by a haunting figure lost in the fog (CD) or in the lonely landscape of the uninhabited mountains (vinyl) and in either case, the music evokes similar feelings to those found in the artwork. Dense, spectral and occasionally harrowing, ‘Mystical future’ is certainly an album that will draw those fans who like music with an intellectual as well as a visceral edge.
The album opens with the lengthy ‘white horses’, a track that is introduced slowly via a single churning guitar. As the band start to bring in more instruments, so the mix opens up, eventually revealing a band cloaked in reverb and lost to the hypnotic pace of the music. If the music is evocative of bleak, open landscapes, the vocals remain firmly rooted in black metal’s dark firmaments, torn from the throat of Keenan Nathan Oakes (who also plays bass) as if by some hellish, invisible force. Still drenched in reverb, the listener is reminded of Sunn 0)))’s radical excoriations, yet the music remains firmly in the post-metal category, dreamily captivating the listener even as the horror unfolds in the vocals. A more immediate track, albeit still draped in that dream-like layer, ‘I will go to your tomb’ comes across as Emperor covering the Cure. Churning riffs emerge from the darkness only to drift away, carried by sinister melodies which grasp the listener, pulling them under to surface to drown in silence as the dark waters close above. Reminiscent in places of Isis at their most understated, ‘I will go to your tomb’ has an air of mystery to it that is quite irresistible and this carries over to the throbbing bass of ‘To transcend’, a track that recalls Mogwai with its gentle, rippling guitar and understated percussion.
The second half of the album opens with the blistering majesty of ‘with arms like wands’, a track that drifts into the scarred territory of early Burzum or Winterfylleth. After the gentle, meandering beauty of ‘to transcend’, ‘with arms like wands’ feels especially potent, but the mix once again renders the track atmospheric rather than out-and-out brutal, the riffs twisting and mutating as the layers pile up atop Keennan’s harrowing screams. The album concludes with the thirteen-minute epic ‘If you leave’. A slow-burning final, ‘if you leave’ takes its time to emerge and, when it does, it is with the haunting beauty of Alexandra Morte who provides lead vocals on the track. It is as unexpected as it is stunning and it showcases a band far more interested in conjuring a specific feel and mood on each song than simply battering the listener into submission with an ill-conceived emphasis on being heavy. As the song progresses, so increasingly distressed riffs take precedence and the music builds to a climax that is as cold and refreshing as being drenched with the spray of a winter storm.
As with all forms of extreme metal, Wildernessking will appeal to a small, niche audience. However, where the band’s strength lies is in their ability to wrench great beauty out of ugliness, their music ever-teetering on the edge of a dark void but refusing to plunge headlong into the abyss. The final track is a masterpiece of post-black-metal with its haunting passages, layered vocals and sense of overwhelming loss. A perfect example of a band who take the time to allow their music to slowly build, Widernessking know how to keep the attention, their music ebbing and flowing, always keeping the listener hooked as the waves wash over them. A black metal band on the edge of the progressive and post-rock genres, Wildernessking are something rather special, and ‘Mystical future’ comes highly recommended to those who like their extreme music to have an exploratory edge.
9/10
