(((O))) Live: Wolves In The Throne Room • Spectral Wound • Gout – St Luke’s, Glasgow

Something about black metal in a church just hits different. Maybe it’s the subversion of expectation, the contrast or perhaps it’s just that the acoustics in a house of worship seem perfectly suited to frosty riffage, but no matter what, it’s typically a profound experience for band and audience alike. Such an occasion is happening tonight, with ecologically conscious icons Wolves In The Throne Room bringing their Crypt Of Ancestral Knowledge tour to St Luke’s, a nearly two-century-old, converted church just a hop, skip and jump from the legendary Barras.

Opening are local lads done good, Gout, who are clearly on a roll after support slots with the likes of Faetooth, Portrayal of Guilt, and Prostitute. This marks one of the biggest stages they’ve made it to yet, but they already show themselves to be comfortable while making people decidedly uncomfortable, no matter the environment. As the dying rays of the evening sun shine through the stained glass behind them, they lurch into ‘Inmate’ and waste scant time in ripping themselves open, the creaking bass and frazzle-fried guitars painting an ugly picture for Ally Scott to vomit his soul all over. Despite his quiet and unassuming presence between songs, as soon as the band kick-in he is transformed, pacing and stalking as he mutters and howls. Whether it’s the acoustics or just the atmosphere they have never sounded better than they do this evening, and it demonstrates not just their intensity but also the scope of their sound – the odd grungy hook or barbed noise-rock freakout muscling in nicely on all that delicious, sludgy hardcore.

Gout. Photo: Demelza Kingston

Next up is what might be the big draw for tonight, the almighty Spectral Wound making their first of hopefully many visits to the city. To say their reputation precedes them doesn’t even begin to do them justice, and their set is full-on, non-stop, unfiltered and utterly spell-binding black metal. It taps back into the genre’s punk and rock’n’roll roots, fusing speed and aggression with a sense of old-school stagecraft. A lot of this stems from the presence of Jonah, a leather-clad ghoul who looks fresh from the grave and who incessantly paces and prowls while screeching at the rafters like Pazuzu itself, equal parts metal pomp and genuine evil, but it’s not as though everyone else isn’t pulling their weight.

Spectral Wound. Photo: Demelza Kingston

With a setlist that showcases their strengths while leaving little breathing room or time for idle chatter, it’s hard to pick out a distinct highlight. It could be ‘Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal’, tight and infectious with enough dual harmonies and frenzied soloing to satisfy the most jaded of headbangers; a blisteringly intense ‘Black Satanic Glamour’ is another inspired shout, Illusory’s drumming sharp and precise yet also innately cool, managing to inject a sense of swagger and violence while keeping the band thundering along with hellish abandon. The whole thing is energising to watch, a celebration of what makes black metal so timeless and such a unifying force – a room brought together under the banner of leather, savage riffing and pure fucking rock and roll.

Spectral Wound. Photo: Demelza Kingston.

In contrast, Wolves In The Throne Room’s approach to black metal is less hell raising and more focused on tapping into something primal and earthly, an all-encompassing sound bath of tremolo and beastly howls that feels in keeping with the austere surroundings they find themselves in tonight. It’s still cold and imposing, Nathan Weaver’s cries piercing amidst the blizzard of distortion that permanently blows behind him, while his brother Aaron flits between head-down aggression and slow, swaying rhythms, but the sense of purpose behind it feels diametrically opposed to what their tourmates bring. It doesn’t light a fire in the belly so much as it invites the listener to remain static and absorb the atmosphere through the ears, the eyes and the soul.

WITTR. Photo: Demelza Kingston

Much of the performance’s earlier material is taken from their more recent output, which seems a wise choice on their part as it serves as a useful bridge between Spectral Wound’s physicality and their own more contemplative nature. The likes of ‘Mountain Magick’ and ‘Beholden To Clan’ are hardly breezy listens but the broad, expansive swathes of sound are blended with canny melodies and even the odd solo – a welcome touch of lightness before the fog (literally) rolls in as a bundle of incense is brought out and wafted over the crowd; a blessing of sorts before ‘Vastness and Sorrow’ heralds the shift into their final form.

WITTR. Photo: Demelza Kingston

Wolves’ long-form songs are truly magnificent, and, in this environment, they are brought to life with wave upon wave of icy riffing and fiery passion. ‘I Will Lay Down My Bones Among The Rocks And Roots’ takes this to its peak, an epic of soaring melody and impossible beauty that has the band firing on all cylinders, with special praise going to Aaron Weaver’s savage and brisk drumming. There’s a palpable sense of loss and wonder in these songs but also power, a primal force that sweeps up band and crowd alike until they’re all one unified swirl of hair, bobbing heads and raised fists. It’s another demonstration of what black metal is capable of in the right hands – not just a spirit of defiance but also one that can bring light.