Wolvencrown - A Shadow Of What Once Was

Key Facts

Country: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal

Release Date: 26th February 2021

Record Label(s): Clobber Records

Band Members

Nick - Vocals, Guitar

Will - Keyboard

Matt - Drums

Reece - Bass

Jack - Guitar

Wolvencrown - A Shadow Of What Once Was (Part I)

Review

Rating (out of 5🤘): 🤘🤘🤘🤘

Favourite Track(s): A Shadow Of What Once Was (Part I), A Shadow Of What Once Was (Part II)

Building on the foundations of rich textural atmospheres and dynamic, evolving melodies laid out in their stunning debut album Of Bark And Ash which was released in 2019, Wolvencrown have returned with an eerie and haunting EP that makes you think of dark, sinister, primeval forests far out from civilisation. A Shadow Of What Once Was is a refined expansion of this already uniquely dynamic sound, ushering in the next era and iteration of Wolvencrown. Adorned with the strikingly eerie and tenebrous artwork of Joan Llopis Domenech, the EP is packed with classic black metal riffs alongside illustrious yet mournful synths and sorrowful string arrangements, to create a truly mysterious, bleak and gloomy atmosphere. This makes A Shadow Of What Once Was a treasure, which is to be cherished as much as it should be feared. 

From the very outset, Wolvencrown create a devastatingly gloomy eeriness, which clutches at your very soul. The concept of the EP harkens back to the ancient time when these satanic islands were swathed in forests and everything had an arboreal existence under the vast expanse of the forest canopy. During this period the islands would be ruled by kings of the lupine kind, stalking in the shadows, waiting for their prey. This is savage existence is channelled into A Shadow Of What Once Was, with parts 1 and 2 both packing an aggressive punch through robust black metal rhythms. There is also something quite mournful and sorrowful underpinning the whole EP. It holds the very essence the German word sehnsucht (meaning 'longing') because it leaves the impression on the listener that in these unprecedented times, you're longing for something more primal, more thrilling and without the overbearing doom of the modern world. With symphonic sounding movements guiding each song down it's predestined path, it feels like you can see the landscape losing its fight to industrial destruction. Even so, the EP sbsumes the senses, enveloping the listener in thoughts, memories and dreams of vivid, illuminated illustrations of wolves, beasts and monsters from the depths of British folklore. The mournful discordance also packs a lot of visceral anger and aggression, resulting in chaotic riff passages that ignite the inner fire that we all have inside of us to save the natural environments we love. The surprising element of the EP was the dungeon synth sounding Coming To An End. With medieval sounding melodies, longing string section and ethereal vocals, it has an impressive film score appeal to it. It's very easy to get lost in the song and soundscape even though it genuinely feels like it's the end of a significant era. While many EPs are considered as stop-gap releases between albums, Wolvencrown have decided to se this as a platform to experiment and as a result has created something very much alive and unique. A Shadow Of What Once Was's nuances are subtle, but filled with absolute purpose and passion. Overall, the EP definitely leaves you wanting more, and we can all anticipate that something big is coming from Wolvencrown in the future. 

The production is raw yet very rich and textured. The guitar tones are rich in mids, which aid increasing the rich tapestry of layered texture, as the leads tones cut through with ample fuzzing distortion. The bass pins all this down with a deep grumble, filling the low end with considerable muster. The kick hammers through the songs, locking in with the bass tones to create a dense sounding rhythm section in which all the synths and guitars can sit on top of effortlessly. The snare can occasionally be overpowered, but it does have a noticeable shotgun snap that draws your attention regardless. The cymbals and hi-hat have a real grittiness to them, fizzing and frothing through the mix, as if channelling the lupine concept in an animistic way. The synths are the outstanding part of the mix, as they augment everything, creating this splendid yet tense grandeur around the rest of the instruments. As well as being arranged to deliver maximum impact. The vocals are a little quiet, it would have been good if Nick's wolf like, scratching vocals came to the forefront a bit more. Overall, the mix captures the atmosphere and concepts 

perfectly. 

If this EP sounds like it will appeal to you, you can pre-order it here.