Its hard to believe that Death Wolf started out as just another Danzig/Samhain cover bands named Devils Whore in 2000 playing originally punk infused speed metal. Over time they changed their name to Death Wolf and evolving into playing a blackened doom metal style of music that still retains the end of the punk sound they began with.
Death Wolf have been able to fuse a melodic doom metal sound with a lot of classic old school black metal elements. Founding member guitarists Morgan Håkansson also of Marduk knows a thing or two about black metal and is able to bring that classic black metal tones and combined them with the melodies and doom-ladem sensibilities that really come together in an amazing way that’s not quite like anything else I’ve heard to date.
The album kicks off with the fast paced “Sea Wolf” before slamming into the heavy plodding “Thorntree”. Songs like the title track “Östergötland” and “Stegeborg” are great examples of how they manage to keep the black metal rawness without losing the melody. Then theres tracks like “Wall Of Shields” and “Black Sunlight” that show off the bands still to bring in the more punky thrashy elements into the blackened sound.
In a world where everything sounds similar and there’s very little that stands out this to me is one of the more unique albums I have heard in a long time. Not only is it unique but its also good, really good.
Fans of the likes of Marduk and Watain who are looking for something a bit more progressive and I don’t mean progressive in a prog rock way I mean it in purely they are expanding on the straight forward black metal sounds but taking it in different more doom metal directions rather than symphonic or ultra progressive like some black metal bands have then this is definitely worth listening to.
“III: Östergötland” is available now
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