The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain

Album review

Watain have always been revered for their top-notch black metal, there’s no doubt about that. Albums such as Sworn to the Dark (2007), Lawless Darkness (2010) or their most recent release Trident Wolf Eclipse (2018) have helped to get this band written into the history books. However, the group is still generally associated with its blood and fire-based stage antics. Nonetheless, these gimmicks seem worlds away after listening to their seventh album, a record which proves how much the band has grown.

The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain is rich and varied. It’s also—as you’d expect—very dark (although it’s much more subtle than its predecessors, employing diverse forms of aggression). Of course, speed is still very much a part of this Swedish band’s arsenal, but elements of traditional heavy metal, even doom metal, give them a fluidity that we haven’t seen before (check out Before the Cataclysm). In the same way, We Remain—which features the incredible Farida Lemouchi (Molassess, formerly The Devil’s Blood)—establishes the band’s sulphurous mystical side, a defining feature of this album. Erik Danielsson, head decision-maker at Watain, is approaching forty and appears to channel the dark forces that drive him in a more mature and thoughtful way (though not at the expense of the intensity they’re known for). Watain haven’t softened their message, they’ve simply refined it. A great example of this is the track Septentrion with its clear melodies.  

A worthy (and perhaps the only rightful) heir to the legacy left behind by metal band Dissection, Watain has risen up the ranks once more with this album which is exciting from start to finish. With subtle but very clever arrangements, it’s fully confirmed our suspicions: Watain is so much more than a blood-smeared band that sometimes chucks decomposing rats into the audience (an event still ingrained in the minds of the maintenance officers at La Locomotive in Paris). Today, they’re creating black metal music that favours philosophy more than simple provocation. Basically, this band has grown up. © Charlélie Arnaud/Qobuz