Watain - Trident Wolf Eclipse

Artist: Watain
Album: Trident Wolf Eclipse
Year: 2018
Rating: 77/100

There are some bands within extreme metal that use some wonderfully nuanced quiet, subtle passages within their music. Watain are not one of them. The black  metal trio from Uppsala, Sweden return with their first album in five years, following up The Wild Hunt.

Opening track "Nuclear Alchemy" roars out of the traps with all the subtlety of a punch in the face, and subsequently sets the tone for the rest of the album. From there on in we get exactly what we expect from the trio: bludgeoning guitars, raspy vocals and pounding drums, although in among all the noise, there are some neatly structured songs; in particular "The Fire of Power" and "Ultra (Pandemoniac)", the latter of which features a guest vocal turn from Attila Csihar (Mayhem and Sunn O))) ).

While Trident Wolf Eclipse may not be the most subtle album ever recorded, it isn't without its enjoyable moments. Older fans will be pleased at Watain's return to their more traditional sound, while newer listeners will find plenty to sustain their interest here, too.

Track listing

1. Nuclear Alchemy
2. Sacred Damnation
3. Teufelsreich
4. Furor Diabolicus
5. A Throne Below
6. Ultra (Pandemoniac)
7. Towards the Sanctuary
8. The Fire of Power
9. Antikrists Mirakel