The rawer and lo-fi side of black metal has a lot to offer for those willing to dive beneath the layers of noise and murkier, sometimes washed-out layers. Over the past two decades there have been plenty of bands exploring the harsher and atmospheric side of the genre that had some real substance beneath some high barriers of entry, whether that was done intentionally or because of budgetary reasons. Austria’s Wuodan's Wunde is one of the latest bands to take on this approach to black metal and dungeon synth/ambient, embracing a lo-fi and murky soundscape that creates a fantastical and sometimes medieval sound. Debut full-length Es glimmt empor aus ewger Nacht bears some similarities to fellow Austrians Summoning but ultimately heads off on its own path, providing some intriguing and haunting soundscapes for those willing to spend the time to make out the details.
Compared to some of their peers, Wuodan’s Wunde seems oriented towards dungeon synth, ambient, and film score instrumentation first and black metal second. There are certainly some lengthy black metal passages where the sound gets much denser and nightmarish, but these are woven into extended periods of melodic, somber instrumentation that gives off a medieval flair and makes it feel like you’re exploring ancient ruins and desolate crypts. It’s an approach that immediately differentiates Es glimmt empor aus ewger Nacht from some of the other raw/atmospheric black metal out there, as the songs build with atmosphere and scale in mind and feel like they’re chronicling a film not yet made. Granted, this film has been copied onto VHS and had its quality degraded because of this, but that lo-fi aesthetic is likely to add to the charm for specific listeners. When it comes to the actual black metal sections, songs like “II” Wuodan’s Wunde reaches a balance between harsh and nightmarish tones and dreamlike, surreal ones that entrance the listener over extended lengths, sometimes reminding me of Australia’s Moon or some of the earlier Gnaw Their Tongues records. There’s certainly a lot of Summoning in there too, with the booming percussion and ambient sounds at the beginning of “IV” feeling like it’s capturing a similar tone. Admittedly despite the entrancing nature and haunting, eerie atmosphere Es glimmt empor aus ewger Nacht is both helped and held back by its dedication to lo-fi. In particular, the drums are so buried in the mix that they feel like they’re coming from a different room and some of the other details feel needlessly obscured. It’s a little too murky for its own good, and I think that the rawness could be retained while still making some tweaks to which instruments dominate the recording.
The vocals are another element that are somewhat buried in the mix, though I expected this as it’s fairly normal for most black metal of this type. This adds to the nightmarish quality of the recording though, as the vocals move from cleaner singing/chanting into high pitched shrieking that breaks through the mix like a spirit rising from a battlefield. It might take a few times through to really start to hear all the nuances, but there’s quite a bit of variation to the performance that ends up being more than just the same scream or shriek for the entire album. On “II” and “III” there is also some spoken word that sounds extra haunting because of how obscured it is, and I’m not sure if it’s a sample or the artist themselves contributing this. A lot of what Wuodan’s Wunde is doing here is familiar, but it ties in perfectly with the atmosphere the material is creating.
You’ll likely know from the first few minutes whether this album is to your taste or not, but those who skew towards the lo-fi and raw side of black metal as well as dungeon synth will find plenty to get lost in. Wuodan’s Wunde’s approach to creating a murky atmosphere that feels like its whisking you to ancient lands is appealing, though sometimes it’s a little too lo-fi for its own good. Bringing out the drums more and a few other of the nuances during the black metal sections could go a long way to make them feel even more impactful without losing the rawness, and given the clarity during the dungeon synth/ambient passages it seems like this is a possibility. Regardless of where they go, Wuodan’s Wunde is an act to watch that has already established its own path to explore. Es glimmt empor aus ewger Nacht is available from Altare Productions.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg