Over the past decade Wolvennest has offered some genuinely entrancing music out there that spanned a wide range of rock and metal influences. Early on their emphasis on repetition and sprawling arrangements took on more of a doom and psychedelic rock approach, but there were already some rougher edges that brought in hints of black metal. Each album has reshaped that core sound and emphasized different textures, with 2020’s Temple opting for longer soundscapes and repetitive flows while 2023’s The Dark Path to the Light challenged the band to condense their atmosphere into shorter timespans. Two years later Wolvennest returns to the lengthier side of things with Procession, but this new effort brings some of the dynamics from its predecessor with it. There is still plenty of slow-burning atmosphere, but the more fluid songwriting makes a significant difference.
Wolvennest has always straddled the line between rock and metal, but it does feel like on the last few albums a bit more of the metal side has been emphasized. This is true on Procession, as songs like “Damnation” and “Hunters” have a bleak, abrasive tone that falls somewhere between the harsher side of doom and black metal. “Hunters” in particular pivots over to a noticeably darker and aggressive black metal sound, with the leads reminding me of a cross between Sortilegia and some of the Norwegian bands on Terratur Possessions. It’s one of the harshest tracks the group has written to date, but it flows well and provides a nice contrast with the rest of the material. On the opposite end of the spectrum, “Décharné” has an almost smoky post rock and Spaghetti Western atmosphere to it, as it emphasizes bluesier leads and shimmering melodies that keep you engaged from beginning to end. “Burial” utilizes a similar approach, but moves at a brisker pace and comes across like blues meets heavy psych. Despite the sheer length of the album, this interplay between abrasive and mellower numbers gives the material a more dynamic feel and unlike some of Wolvennest’s past efforts it doesn’t feel like they fall into too similar of a pattern. Even interlude tracks like “Things That Breathe are Death” drew me back on repeat listens rather than being skippable moments. It’s also worth noting that the theremin is even more prominent, as while it’s always been an element of the instrumentals I found myself noticing it more in the soundscape this time around. “Damnation” and “The Last Chamber” could have been trimmed slightly, but this is a minor nitpick for an otherwise incredible listen.
I mentioned in my review of The Dark Path to the Light that Shazzula has really become one of the main focal points of Wolvennest compared to their earlier days where the vocals had a bit more split time with Déhà. That’s not to say you won’t hear one of his many clean or distorted pitches over the course of Procession, but Shazzula’s hypnotic and commanding presence remains front and center while Déhà provides a lot of backing vocals that stand out more over repeat listens. There’s quite a bit of depth to the performance, as some songs focus on more detached and hazy singing, while “Décharné” has a feeling of beauty breaking through the darkness. On each album Wolvennest has picked a specific guest that fits in well with their sprawling arrangements, and as with the previous album this one skews towards the black metal side. Last time Misþyrming’s D.G.made an appearance, and this time Hekte Zaren from the very underrated Adaestuo takes over the mic on “Hunters”. Haren dominates the first three quarters of the track, providing a much harsher atmosphere to the band’s music, but towards the end things move towards spoken word and Wolvennest once again transforms the sound entirely.
The Dark Path to the Light showcased Wolvennest could thrive just as much when their songwriting went for a more direct and shorter approach compared to their usual sprawl and excess. It pushed their already dense and hard to pin down metal and rock to new heights, and I found myself wondering just how the band would top it. But they’ve done just that two years later, avoiding some of the pitfalls that made Temple a tougher listen while moving into even more dynamic territory. It does demand some dedicated attention to start to pick out all the details beneath the layers of hazy melodies and harsher edges, but those who choose to do so will find this to be a truly rewarding album. Procession is available from Consouling Sounds.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg