WATAIN – Lawless Darkness CD review

WATAIN – Lawless Darkness CD
Season of Mist Records

So far this year I’ve had the luxury of reviewing two of the many supposed most anticipated releases of 2010. This is the third and I’ll probably cross paths with a few more before the end of the year. The only reason I’d find myself in the same room with such releases is because I like those bands to start with. Whether or not some bozo from the metal media expects greatness I’d still pick this new one up by WATAIN. To say these Swedes don’t have a target on their back because of media hype is putting it lightly. Sure the band’s lack of humility could be one reason but ever since their 2007 release, Sworn to the Dark, the metal media wonks have placed WATAIN as leaders of the black metal genre. Therefore whenever something about black metal is the subject matter for the press the media wonks try to get a quote from WATAIN’s bassist/vocalist Erik Danielson. To make matters worse Danielson has no problem in supplying them much in the same way Gaahl (ex GORGOROTH) did in the past and Fenriz (DARKTHRONE) does now.

Back in April, Season of Mist released a two song teaser to push the anticipation level up a notch. That contained a new cut “Reaping Death” and a DEATH SS cover. The reviews for that was luke warm but DEATH SS did get alot of friend requests to their Myspace fan page. Also Danielson has been warning people that Lawless Darkness was going to be some sort of black metal rebirth. Well after blasting this continuously over the weekend I’m here to tell you this is not a rebirth of black metal. Lawless Darkness is an abortion served up on a silver platter for all the bozos to eat. Most of the clowns in the metal media who praise WATAIN are clueless to what they’re really all about. The devil is supposed to deceive the easily foolish and more specifically them being heirs to DISSECTION. Lawless Darkness is like Storm of the Light’s Bane and The Somerlain redeployed for a second salvo from the indication of opener “Death’s Cold Dark”. The beautiful melodies bombarded by cold harshness which leaves you in pain from touching it. The harnessing of classic metal riffage whether its thrash or NWOBHM and then pummeling it with blastbeats that are short, concise and devastating. This is the classic design of Swedish black metal, sweet brutality, laughing while you gallop across a road paved with the bodies of the believers. The second cut on here “Malfeitor” is a perfect example. “Reaping Death” sounds better within the album structure then tossed out as a bone for the dogs to gnaw on. In fact the first three cuts on here are like inviting all of the lackeys, well wishers, followers and coattail riders into a great hall then have a massacre ensue. Afterwards you can swim across the pool created with their blood laughing all the way while listening to “Four Thrones”.

“Wolves Curse” is where the dark princes stretch things out for nine plus minutes to the reflections of a lycanthropic nightmare. It’s a barrage of traditional thrash riffs with sick guitar soloing weaved within. Danielson’s vocals start off as hoarse, harsh and still human but end the song animalistic. This will have to be a staple for future concert set lists. I can just imagine a huge audience in agony and pain withering on the ground as they all transform from human to night beast. I will say not everything on here is pure blissful hate. The instrumental title track was strange. Pre release info on this had Danielson boasting that they had more material than needed for this release. The song itself sounds more like a practice jam albeit better than most. “Total Funeral” is classic metal blackened. But those are minor instances to say the least. The last three cuts on here are where WATAIN almost return to their Casus Luciferi era especially on the cut “Kiss of Death”. Somewhere Jon Nodtveidt is grinning from ear to ear as well as I. The final cut on here “Waters of Ain” is a fourteen and a half minute climatic fuck you to all the unworthy, the human garbage that have waited patiently for this new one and are probably disappointed. “Waters of Ain” encompasses everything WATAIN has done musically in their career, therefore it needs to be the longest cut they’ve ever written.

In my not so humble opinion what the band has done on Lawless Darkness is to give the middle finger salute to the “herd of sheep” who think modern day black metal needs to all sound the same, it needs to be progressive, it needs to sound like sheep farts, etc. Those types see all music as a product that needs to conform to short sighted simple minded themes. I know that black metal is the most diverse of all extreme metal genres. It conveys passion onto the listener and from that point on the individual moves on from it to create and to live free of constraints. WATAIN is obviously not willing to create within the restraints that short sighted critics have placed upon them. Lawless Darkness is a black metal release that actually sounds metal in all its classic sense. It’s a release created for the people who actually like metal and not a bunch of superficial coffee house worms who don’t. If this CD sells a hundred thousand copies, less than a quarter of the buyers will “get it”. The rest hopefully will use it as a weapon for their self inflicted demise. Sometimes you just have to thin the herd.

www.seasonofmist.com