Wolves In The Throne Room - "Black Cascade" (2009)

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM "Black Cascade"

Year: 2009
Genre: Cascadian Black Metal
Country: USA
Label: Southern Lord prod.

Track List:

1. Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog
2. Ahrimanic Trance
3. Ex Cathedra
4. Crystal Ammunition

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This is the latest up to date full-length release by WITTR, and it's no worse than the previous albums. WITTR are still breaking all black metal cliches, so if you don't like the primitivism and Satanic fixation of most underground BM bands, then "Black Cascade" is a release for you. It's music inspired by nature and sorrow, and a strong "shamanic" feel is also present (especially on 2nd track). Damn, I'm starting to like black metal from USA more and more!..

Now WITTR are a very well-known band on a world's black metal scene, and they definitely deserve all that attention. More left-wing and environmentalist black metal, more good bands from Cascadia!

Wolves In The Throne Room - "Malevolent Grain" (2009)

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM "Malevolent Grain"

Year: 2009
Genre: Cascadian Black Metal
Country: USA
Label: Southern Lord / Conspiracy Records

Track List:

1. A Looming Resonance
2. Hate Crystal

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It's an EP featuring two brand new songs by WITTR, and it's rather an experimental release (so you haven't heard any WITTR albums before, I'd recommend one of their earlier releases). The first track is very good, it's pure atmospheric black metal melancholy and it has female vocals. The second track features more traditional, bleak and aggressive black metal, but IMO it isn't as good as the first. (By the way, "Hate Crystal" - wtf does that title mean?..) Overall this release is a try of a new approach towards black metal... whether you like it or not.

Wolves In The Throne Room - "Two Hunters" (2007)

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM "Two Hunters"

Year: 2007
Genre: Cascadian Black Metal
Country: USA
Label: Southern Lord Records

Track List:

1. Dea Artio
2. Vastness and Sorrow
3. Cleansing
   
4. I Will Lay Down My Bones Among the Rocks and Roots

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Some people argue that there's no place for political lyrics in black metal, and it's more suitable for a heavy or black metal band to sing about ancient forests and the beauty of wolves. Well, even if you're one of these, you probably wouldn't see anything wrong with green anarchist black metal, as it's presented by WITTR and the other bands from Northern Cascadia. "Two Hunters" isn't any worse than "Diadem of 12 Stars", it's still very good atmospheric black metal. There is also an expanded version of this release, including a bonus track entitled 'To Reveal' and an extended version of "Cleansing", but sadly I don't have it.

Wolves In The Throne Room - "Diadem of 12 Stars" (2006)

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM "Diadem Of 12 Stars"

Year: 2006
Genre: Cascadian Black Metal
Country: USA
Label: Vendlus Records

Track List:

1. Queen of the Borrowed Light
2. Face in a Night Time Mirror: Part 1
3. Face in a Night Time Mirror: Part 2
4. (A Shimmering Radiance) Diadem of 12 Stars
   

I'm sure you all have heard about Wolves In The Throne Room. They were the first well-known black metal (not blackened crust) band to explicitly express their support for left-wing politics, environmentalism and eco-feminism. WITTR are the best representative of a Cascadian black metal movement, and they're direct predecessors of Panopticon (though WITTR aren't as radical as Panopticon).

This release is also outstanding in terms of music. It's progressive black metal with a perfect atmosphere, a must-listen album to every fan of RABM!

Skagos & Tomhet - "Himmelszelt" (2008)

SKAGOS & TOMHET "Himmelszelt"

Year: 2008
Genre: Cascadian Black Metal / Dark Ambient
Country: Canada
Label: Woodsmoke prod.

Track List:

Skagos

1. Apotheosis (and Lo, the Gate of Himmelszelt)
2. Precession
3. Orthodox Painted with the Ash of Pine

Tomhet

1. Epoch
2. Journey Through the Frozen Forest
3. Desolate Palace
4. Gelid
5. Descension (and thus, Solitude)

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It is a cassette rip, so don't be surpised that the quality of the record isn't perfect (the rip isn't made by me, and I'm too lazy to remove all the hiss). But it's alright anyway.

The "Himmelszelt" split is a first "serious" release by Skagos. Though Skagos is a project by a member of Iskra, it doesn't sound like Iskra at all, it's more resembling Panopticon, WITTR and other Cascadian black metal bands. It's experimental black metal with many acoustic and "folk-ish" parts, and the atmosphere of the record is perfect - that's how green anarchist black metal should sound like.

Tomhet's part of the split is more dark ambient-influenced, in the vein of Velvet Cacoon. I didn't like these track as much as I like Skagos' part, but they're good anyway. It's like feelings of a man alone at night in a winter forest, expressed in sound. Hope you like it.

Timebomb - "Hymns For A Decaying Empire" (1996)

TIMEBOMB "Hymns For A Decaying Empire"

Year: 1996
Genre: Hardcore / proto-RABM
Country: Italy
Label: S.O.A. Records

Track List:

1. Trinity
2. The Truth Denied
3. Dream
4. Damnation
5. Deep
6. Bow
7. Culture Abstinence
8. When The Blood Calls
9. Untitled
   

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Great thanks again to 7inchcrust for uploading this very hard-to-find release! Of course, it isn't as good as "Full Wrath of the Slave" and the black metal influence is virtually non-existent, but it's still very decent hardcore with samples and keyboard parts. Timebomb always played very original music, and all their releases deserved to have more listeners.