Wolves In The Throne Room
Celestial Lineage

The American Wolves in the Throne Room have now become a mass phenomenon for all lovers of the genre, praised everywhere, adored to the extreme by critics, and increasingly listened to, especially after the release of "Celestial Lineage." Undoubtedly, the Weaver brothers know what they are doing and they do it well, but analyzing their music is not a simple task.

The first step is to decode the musical concept behind WITTR, a concept decidedly distant from all the other Black Metal bands. At a cursory glance, the Weaver formation might appear as any band inspired by the beauties of unspoiled nature and its energies, but this is only the surface. Digging beneath the crust reveals a strongly environmental message that touches on themes such as organic farming, sustainable development, and the connection between man and nature with respect for the latter.

Needless to say, the concept goes decidedly further than other bands of the same genre, so much so that many have labeled WITTR as "Eco Black Metal" or "Organic Black Metal." Beyond these purely classificatory labels, one must admit that the band's choice is undoubtedly sincere and well-rooted from the point of view of sound, given that they avoid the use of any kind of sound digitalization and record with rigorously vintage equipment, and from their lifestyle perspective, the Weaver brothers indeed live a low-impact existence, residing on a farm and carrying on the project of an organic garden. They certainly cannot be called hypocrites!

Undoubtedly, the deeply rooted environmental concept and the resulting aura of mystery and fascination around WITTR have greatly contributed to the success of their music, and now it's precisely this that I want to write about without further delay!

"Celestial Lineage" is an album that is difficult to comprehend with just one listen, it is a tremendously complex work, but thanks to an excellently studied structure implemented with great style, it does not prove particularly strenuous. The vintage sound and non-digitalized recording work excellently in the tracks of WITTR, contributing masterfully to a strongly dynamic and profound sound. Obviously, this type of recording penalizes the production in terms of the power and clarity of the sounds, but I doubt that the music of "Celestial Lineage" needs these elements to perform at its best... quite the opposite! The Weaver brothers' goal is to create music capable of bringing to mind the energies of nature, particularly that of the vast coniferous forests of the U.S. Pacific coast, and this intent is perfectly achieved with this fourth album, thanks to its enchanting and dreamy atmospheres that undoubtedly characterize it and set it apart from the many mediocre albums churned out by equally mediocre groups with the same intent.

The WITTR reach almost genius peaks in this album, tracks like "Thuja Magus Imperium" and "Astral Blood" are little masterpieces, I am not afraid to dare to say that they are probably among the most interesting tracks that U.S. Black Metal has produced in recent years. Unfortunately, with regret, I must point out that not all episodes of "Celestial Lineage" are at these levels; for example, "Woodland Cathedral," though of great atmosphere, remains a strongly boring and repetitive track, while "Permanent Changes in Consciousness" simply sounds like the classic "filler track." Unfortunately, even though I too have been enchanted by the alluring charm of this album, I must be critical on this point; each album must be evaluated in its entirety. However, a few not entirely successful episodes do not diminish everything excellent in "Celestial Lineage."

Before concluding, I would also like to point out that here we are dealing with an album that is not only the work of the two Weaver brothers but also of a good number of artists who have collaborated as guests or who have realized the exquisite aesthetics of the packaging; photographers, graphic designers, and musicians have contributed a piece to the realization of this work, and the result can be heard and seen!

"Celestial Lineage" is an excellent album that deserves to be listened to and appreciated over and over again. I don't feel like joining the industry critics in shouting masterpiece, but surely this is an album that will spin in my stereo for a long time to come!