Since their formation in 2011, Wayfarer’s music has reflected the landscapes and history of their home state of Colorado. Initially this came in the form of more traditional sounding atmospheric black metal, but over time it has given way to elements of spaghetti western soundtracks, gothic country, and folk tinges, with their aesthetic also shifting to mirror this. While certainly not the first black metal band to explore some of these elements, the group’s commitment to pushing beyond the usual genre constructs and integrating these ideas into the core of their songwriting has helped them stand out. 2020’s A Romance With Violence (and to a lesser extent 2018’s World’s Blood) set the stage for what to come, and with this year’s American Gothic Wayfarer’s transformation is complete. Rather than a twang here or a dusty accent there, the Americana and gothic elements are woven into the fabric of each track without losing the harsher metal textures. It’s an album that may take some time to sink in, but the more time you spend with American Gothic the more it gives back as the richer textures and peaks begin to jump out at you.
The first few minutes of American Gothic makes it clear that you’re in for a different listening experience, as you’re greeted with a cleaner guitar twang and the sound of an approaching train that grows steadily louder until things transition over into much louder, fuller instrumentation. It’s an effective and haunting way to open that feels like it’s not only capturing the landscapes of the Colorado area in musical form but transporting you to a completely different time. “The Thousand Tombs of Western Promise” builds off this intro methodically, moving along at a slower click as the dense layers of atmosphere expand outwards. There is still a metallic sheen to the instrumentation on this song, as the guitar tonality has some harsher and jagged edges to it, but the folk and Americana touches also shine through just as much and give off a very different and appealing sound. “The Cattle Thief” is where you get a bit more of the typical black metal approach, as blast beats work their way in around the three-minute mark and the guitar leads adopt some more metal sounding approaches. But where a lot of other black metal has a more violent cadence, Wayfarer goes for a more subdued approach and emphasizes the brooding and darker textures of the genre to make its statements. American Gothiccan best be described as bleak and mournful, hitting some harsher peaks but ultimately exploring the aftermath of the storm rather than the storm itself. “Reaper on the Oilfields” and “A High Plains Eulogy” are great examples of this, as they let the Americana, folk, and gothic country elements shine the most with beautiful yet dark melodies driving things forward. With the emphasis on mid-tempo arrangements and more nuanced songwriting over constant tension and booming peaks, American Gothic does take a bit more time to sink in compared to Wayfarer’s past material. That’s not to say that there aren’t some immediate hooks, but it took a solid three to four times through before some of the subtle details started jumping out and the songs really took full hold. Once that happened, I found myself fully absorbed in the somber melodies and bursts of controlled aggression, with the haunting and windswept atmospherics really drawing me back again and again.
While you might be expecting that the vocals would follow the same path as the instrumentals and go for a bit more singing and other folk/Americana range, this is where Wayfarer remains the most rooted in metal. Early on this comes in the form of reverb drenched screams that tower over the recording, giving off a similar vibe as more recent material from Tribulation. It’s the type of raspy screaming that could become repetitive if it was the only pitch Wayfarer had to offer on the whole album, but thankfully there’s a lot of variety to the performance. “The Cattle Thief” transitions around the halfway point over to haunting gothic sounding singing , while “Reaper on the Oilfields” has distorted singing and spoken word that seems to drift in and out of the layers of sound. “A High Plains Eulogy” is the high point on the cleaner side of the aisle, as the vocals adopt a more soulful and Americana slant that has a lot of beauty and sorrow to it. “Black Plumes Over God’s Country” even brings in George Cessna and Munly J. Munly as guests on vocals and for a voiceover that makes for a late album highlight over repeat listens. My one criticism is that the density of the instrumentation does drown out some of the softer singing and other nuances, and I would’ve loved to have them be a bit clearer in the mix.
Where some metal bands have made the transition to non-metal genres by completely abandoning their past sounds and forging all new territory, Wayfarer retains a lot of black metal in their DNA while seamlessly weaving in folk, Americana, and gothic country. With these styles now intertwined, it gives them a unique angle and sound within the genre, and they have the songwriting chops to back it up. American Gothic does opt for a moodier and more nuanced approach, and while there are some stunning peaks it may take a few times through to get a feel for everything at work here. But as everything sinks in, I think this one has some real staying power, and it’s likely to be one of the most interesting fusions you’ll hear in 2023. American Gothic is available from Profound Lore Records in North America and Century Media Records in Europe.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg