WILDERNESSKING “Mystical Future”

Les Acteurs De l’Ombre Productions, 2016

Music: Post-Black Metal
Website: http://www.wildernessking.com/
Duration: 42:00 minutes (5 tracks)
Country: South Africa

 

WILDERNESSKING is the first band from the Republic of South Africa, which I have the opportunity to listen. Under this name the band has existed since 2011. Formerly they were called HEATHEN. Apart from a few EPs and splits, “Mystical Future” is their second album. And what can the band play if they come straight from Black Africa? Of course, Black Metal. However, as the members are not black-skinned metalheads, so their Black Metal has certain impurities, which can be characterized as impure Black Metal. The jokes aside but let’s get to the music…

The compositions included on the album are very predatory and sharp, which can be heard in the guitar-vocal arrangements, which sound is really close to Black Metal… The stylish scream emphatically confirms this. However, another important feature of these compositions are melodic solos of distorted guitars and climatic passages of pure tones, typical for Post Rock music. The features create a deep melancholy by the wistful melodies and trance sounds of guitars. And the fast riffs played with slow rhythm of drums form a dense wall of atmospheric sound typical for style of Shoegazer. Some predatory slowdowns push the compositions to Sludge Metal.

In the last song “If You Leave”, the gentle melancholic female vocals also appears yet more deepening the emotional character of the whole.

WILDERNESSKING proved that it is possible to present Black Metal in bit different way, not only as furious and bestial music, which not tolerates compromises but also as very melancholic music, which beautifully combines opposites – predatory aggression and hysteria with climate melancholy and despair. Something similar sometimes creates THE MOTH GATHERER.

Tracklist:
1. White Horses
2. I Will Go To Your Tomb
3. To Transcend
4. With Arms Like Wands
5. If You Leave

Line-up:
Keenan Nathan Oakes – Vocals, Bass
Dylan Viljoen – Guitars
Jesse Navarre Vos – Guitars
Jason Jardim – Drums

Rate: 9.0/10

Home: Parczew (Poland). Interests / Hobbies: music, musical journalism, oriental studies, anthropology, psychology, medicine, sociology. Favourite music genres: first of all the all genres of Metal, Hardcore and Progressive Rock as well as Gothic, Ambient, Classical Music, Ethnic Music, Sacred Music, Choral Music, Soundtracks, New Age Music, Folk Music i sometimes Jazz, Electro, Experimental or Alternative Music... He co-founded magazine & webzine Born To Die'zine as Gnom.
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