Mood is the single most important aspect of black metal. It has to be dense, bleak and occasionally triumphant in it’s loneliness. When I listen to black metal I’m not giving ear to technical prowess or even a high quality recording. I want it to be oppressive all encompassing. I want a dissonant wash of guitar squalor and an occasional giant, reverb drenched melody. Both working to barely support unintelligible, throat shredding vocals. I want moments of mournful beauty culminating in monumental anguish. The debut EP by Canadian duo Wilt doesn’t reinvent the black metal wheel but it does deliver on everything I listed above.
Opening track “Autumn Veil” immediately sets the tone for the whole EP. Where as many modern atmospheric black metal bands use slow building intros to songs as a way to build tension or sadness, Wilt starts off at full volume and layered. Waves of bleak guitars crashing around relentless drums give way to hints of melancholic melody only to be buried again mercilessly. The familiar black metal atmosphere is created, the mood is set and while there aren’t any really surprises coming from here on out, the power and honesty inherent in the music is more than enough to warrant your continued attention.
The second half of the EP is where Wilt gets particularly impressive. Starting with the eleven minute “Empyrean”. Kicking off, much like the ?rst two song, with a wall of sound, screaming and frantic drumming the song slowly gives way to a beautiful guitar solo. At ?rst such a change may seem out of place but it ?nally gives voice to the hopefulness that has been hinted at throughout the album. The song’s grandiose climax is, of course, rendered irrelevant by the doomed sadness of the album closer “Pale Consternation”. The ?nal song grinds to a halt underneath yet another woefully expressive guitar lead. The triumphant and gorgeous guitar work at the ?nale works incredibly within the overall bleak sadness of the record.
At 30 minutes long this EP goes by very quickly and if you are a fan of the genre you will most likely immediately start it over and listen to it multiple times. Everything on this album simply ?ts together well. Of course, like most black metal, the production is sparse but the songs shine through it better than many other similar acts. Wilt has crafted an impressive and successful debut and I hope they record a longer album in order to give some of their fantastic subtleties a chance to breathe.
Wilt EP is out now and available through here.
Review by Michael B. Hayden.
