One of the biggest plagues to have descended upon the world
recently is surely the one man black metal band. There’s nothing inherently
wrong with them, but sadly bands like Burzum, Arckanum, Leviathan, etc. are few
and far between. Most of these bedroom warriors simply lack the ability to
create works that are anything more than mediocre. Now, with an intro like that
you’re probably wondering why Wulfschrei
has received such a high score. The answer is quite simple really. Warwulf fucking
rules.
On paper, Wulfschrei
doesn’t look like anything special. Its sole member’s only other involvement
with metal before the demo was a short-lived stint with Battle Dagorath. 30
copies of the demo were self-released on tape, and it’s just about 13 minutes
long. Yes, there’s no denying it; if you substitute Battle Dagorath with any
other band nearly no one’s ever heard of, the previous sentences could apply to
innumerable other black metal bands. Unlike innumerable other black metal bands
though, Warwulf’s first release is damn near flawless.
The album begins with “Through the Desolate Stars”, a slow,
sorrowful keyboard intro that builds suspense like the calm before the storm, and
the two tracks that follow it are quite a storm indeed. Musically, Wulfschrei’s black metal tracks are somewhat
like Satanic Warmaster with their buzzing yet melodic riffs and minimalist
structure. Both “From Bone to Ashes” and “Perverted Sorrow” are based around
the repetition of just a few majestic, buzzing tremolo riffs that rise and fall.
The riffs are of the somewhat slower variety, but combined with the faster
drums, the tracks seem faster than they actually are. Vocally this may well be
one of my favorite performances ever. Wulfskrieger’s muted and slightly echoing
shrieks along with his fantastic sustains fit perfectly with the music and hold
your attention completely throughout the short release. Sadly though, as soon
as it began it’s over, and the outro, “Wulfschrei”, escorts you gently back to
the real world.
Truth be told, I can’t point to a single second during Wulfschrei that I would change. In fact,
the only criticism I have of the demo is that it’s too short. Yes, I hate that
cliché as much as you do, but in this case it’s true. Excluding the intro and
outro, the total length comes to just eight minutes; far too short for a
release of this caliber, which makes the intro/outro to black metal ratio a
little higher than I would prefer.
With just a single demo, Warwulf has achieved far more
artistically than many bands do over the course of their entire career. The
material on this release serves as a shining example of what black metal should
be; raw but melodic riffs, chilling vocals, and uncompromising. Unfortunately,
with just 80 copies in existence it’s nearly impossible to get ahold of this
album in a physical form. If ever there was anything in need of a re-press it’s
Wulfschrei. Seriously, I can’t
recommend this enough; check it out.
94%
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