Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 02:09 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
Country: South Africa
Label: Sick Man Getting Sick Records
Year: 2016
It’s a pity that I haven’t had the chance to listen to this band’s previous recordings and especially their 2012 debut The Writing of Gods in the Sand, which had received good comments, as it seems. I don’t know many bands from Cape Town, South Africa and the new album Mystical Future comes with elegant artwork and an euphoric aura, forming feelings and thoughts before even listening to it.
The term black metal in Wildernessking’s description is less important here and it shouldn’t trick you into believing they are guided by it. Atmospheric / post-black has anyhow followed it’s own path, as has this band with Mystical Future. The guitar lines are of shimmering beauty, well crafted and far from the typical black metal patterns, compiling an overall clean album with rare agonizing moments.
With a length of forty three minutes and musicianship as good as this, Mystical Future is a pleasing listen even for people who aren’t amused by less harmful bands like these (I am one of those people). Entertaining are the moments when the album gets a little more intense, like in the second track “I Will Go to Your Tomb”, which is again really atmospheric and bubbled over by nice riffs from start to finish.
The tracks “White Horses” and “With Arms Like Wands”, last nine and eight minutes respectively and offer a clear view of the band’s style, while there are also pure ambient / post-rock parts like the track “To Transcend” and the middle part of “If you Come”. There are often changes of tempo and the band doesn’t fear to slow down once in a while, making Mystical Future anything but boring.
What’s impressive is the vocal work, which features excellent sounding screams in every track. They’re passionate and unique, even too harsh for atmospheric black metal at times, but in general I totally loved them. The whispering in “To Transcend” makes it more moving than typical post-rock, while the female chants in the introduction of “If You Come” are dreamy. This is what the best post-black metal albums are made of.
And in all this, Wildernessking hold a personal sound. They have found something of their own and demonstrate it very well, I wouldn’t be so kind if they weren’t. I don’t know if this band will get the praise it deserves, because it has not been born in the heart of America, but it definitely worths a listen by everyone interested in the atmospheric black metal scene of the recent years.
4,5/6
