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"Lawless Darkness exudes an incredible darkness, creeping, almost palpable, that Watain has the intelligence not to express only through a Black Metal too concerned with codes."
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5/5
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Watain is one of those bands that doesn't care about controversy. And beyond the typical appearance of its members, based on corpse-paint, studded bracelets and upside-down crosses, the band shows above all a real conviction, a sincere and exclusive passion for its music and, through it, for the message conveyed. As Erik Danielsson says, "The title of the album describes the liberation of the potential chaos occurring in all that is devoid of light. In the absence of this light remains the vital source of Watain: in the lawless darkness".
We have certainly seen more original, but the facts are there: Lawless Darkness exudes an incredible, creeping, almost palpable darkness, that the trio has the intelligence to not only express through a Black Metal too concerned with codes - on the contrary! The approach is globally the same as the ones undertaken by their Norwegian neighbors (Enslaved or Emperor), but the listening result shows a marked difference. In reality, as it was the case for the previous Watain's opuses, the first influence is rather to be found on the side of Dissection, the mythical formation of Jon Nödveidt, with whom Watain maintained close links. The disciples have probably never sounded so close to the masters but have managed to develop their own identity through this album, with its iconic dimension.
From the eponymous instrumental to the hallucinatory tracks "Reaping Death" or "Four Thrones", through the anthems "Wolves Curse" and the epic final chapter, "Waters Of Ain" (14 minutes), the listener is transported into a chaotic, brutal universe, overflowing with infinite energy. The whole is maintained in a remarkable state of cohesion thanks to a production with a cataclysmic scale ("Total Funeral"). The dark vortex of the cover and Danielsson's words gradually make sense: "our goal is to capture the devouring madness and glittering purity of darkness, beyond illusion, that void capable of engulfing everything and yet within which nothing is manifest." Backed by over an hour of this cosmic storm, this description is ultimately extremely realistic.
From a strictly musical point of view, this chaos is expressed by an ease to evolve in an instant from the merciless blast-beat to the fantastic atmospheres ("Death's Cold Dark", "Waters Of Ain"), from the heavy riffs ("Kiss Of Death") to the tasty winks, like the intro of "Malfeitor", which takes the final riff of the previous album... The versatility of the trio is admirable, its agreement infallible.
Watain comes to bring its stone to the musical edifice of this year 2010 with this wildly beautiful Lawless Darkness, animated by a black spark that will make you shiver while catching you in its embrace. How far we have come since Casus Luciferi! A disenchanted album but paradoxically bubbling with life and rage, to be ranked with the great classics of the genre. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Death's Cold Dark - 05:29 02. Malfeitor - 06:58 03. Reaping Death - 05:07 04. Four Thrones - 06:16 05. Wolves Curse - 09:12 06. Lawless Darkness - 06:08 07. Total Funeral - 06:04 08. Hymn To Qayin - 05:57 09. Kiss Of Death - 07:46 10. Waters Of Ain - 14:31
LINEUP:
Erik Danielsson: Chant / Basse Hakan Jonsson: Batterie Pelle Forsberg: Guitares
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READERS
4/5 (1 view(s))
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STAFF:
5/5 (2 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH WATAIN
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"Osmium out now !" |
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT WATAIN
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