Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 07:54 PM by Giorgos Tsekas
Genre: Black Metal
Country: Greece
Label: Metal Throne Productions
Year: 2016
Faethon takes his time with his material and while Wolfhowl has been active since 2009, he released his first EP in 2012, contributed to a split album with Nipenthis in 2013 and then came out with the second EP this year. The band’s essence is pretty straightforward and easy to guess from the album titles and art, so you know you’re meddling with Greek black metal here.
The Purity of Mother Nature is a four-track album that goes up to twenty one minutes in length, a standard and approved length for an EP. The sound is significantly improved compared to the band’s first effort in 2012 and while the material is of the same elements, the song writing has also moved a couple of steps forward. Musically, it’s another solid piece of this country’s approach to black metal with a number of cutting riffs and melodies in the tracks, all of which are well structured and supported by the EP’s great production.
Faethon chooses to switch between middle paced parts to faster moments, where he exerts more pressure via the riffing and shows his good grip of handling the guitars. The first two tracks, “By the Power” and “Aenos (The Great Mountain)” are both good examples of that fact, while the third track “Mother Nature’s Revenge” is overall slightly more intense, due to it’s continuous higher speed.
In the end, with “Κάθαρσις (Catharsis)” one can hear him sing in Greek as well, it’s always interesting to listen to the outcome of bands listening to their native language in black metal. There is also a part with a narration in Greek from a Greek poem named “The Twilight Sonata” by Giannis Ritsos. It’s a more melancholic track that closes the balanced record.
In general, I think the technique of Faethon has grown better. As much as I enjoy the Greek black metal guitar lines worshiped in The Purity of Mother Nature, he has also done a great job with his vocals and the drum lines are also powerful. Wolfhowl does not disappoint and should by now be considered a force in the underground scene.
4/6
