The Wild Hunt | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 19 August 2013 | |||
Recorded | January – May 2013 | |||
Studio | Necromorbus Studio, Stockholm Blueflame Productions Studios, Uppsala Studio 33, Toivala Studio Sound, Kuopio | |||
Genre | Black metal, heavy metal, doom metal, progressive metal [1] | |||
Length | 61:29 | |||
Label | Season of Mist, Century Media | |||
Producer | Tore Stjerna, Watain | |||
Watain chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Wild Hunt | ||||
|
The Wild Hunt is the fifth studio album by Swedish black metal band Watain. It was released through Century Media on 19 August 2013 in Europe and 20 August 2013 in USA. [3] The cover art was painted "in oil and mixed materials" by Zbigniew M. Bielak, who was also responsible for the artwork of Lawless Darkness . [4] The album sold around 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release, and was the best-selling album in their home country of Sweden on the week of its release, making it the band's highest sales and chart debut to date. [5] Stylistically the album represents a development of Watain's established black metal sound, incorporating influences from heavy metal, doom metal, and progressive metal. It is also the first Watain album to feature vocalist Erik Danielsson performing clean vocals. [6]
Watain's previous album Lawless Darkness was a significant critical and commercial success for the band. It earned the band their first Swedish Grammi for 'Best Hard Rock' album in 2011, and the album's single 'Reaping Death' was certified gold in Sweden by the IFPI for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. [7] [8] Following the success of Lawless Darkness, as well as notable live performances at Wacken and Bloodstock in 2012, the band signed with Century Media Records in November 2012, confirming that their fifth full-length album would be released through the label in 2013. The Wild Hunt is Watain's first album released on Century Media, and their first release on a major record label. [9] [10] [11]
Music critics have noted that represents some significant stylistic changes compared to the band's previous albums. AllMusic's Gregory Heaney wrote that the band "continues to bend and expand the form, tempering the icy chill of classic black metal with atmospheric touches, creating an experience that feels epic and sprawling compared to the suffocating sounds one typically associates with the genre. By adding in touches of doom, prog, and symphonic metal, Watain is able to push the boundaries of black metal while still keeping things on the extreme end of the spectrum, providing them with a kind of accessibility that doesn't require them to sacrifice any of the more terrifying aspects of their sound in the process." [6] Stereogum's Michael Nelson compared the band's progression on this album to Metallica, and this album to Metallica's 'Black Album', writing that "the similarities are striking: The Wild Hunt is Watain’s most straightforward collection, their most traditional rock-based collection; it’s also a tremendous leap, from the lofty, daunting – and perhaps inaccessible – peaks previously scaled by the band into a wide, deep, very big pond." [12]
The album was written over a period of about three years, beginning after the release of their previous album. Much of the lyrics were "written on the road, in Australia, Japan, USA and Transylvania." [13] Discussing the meaning behind the album, Erik Danielsson said:
"The Wild Hunt has a very retrospective concept actually. It’s very much about us looking back on this journey that we have been on for these last 15 years and the songs all relate, in one way or another, to very defined experiences and ideas; struggles, trials and tribulations that we have been through during this time. I don’t mean to make it seem like it’s an autobiographical concept, because it isn’t really, it is in a certain sense, but it is still a very lofty and spiritual concept at the same time. It’s a divine idea, The Wild Hunt really. And I found it a really inspiring concept to work with, although the individual songs in themselves we never really paid attention to the concept when we wrote them, it was more something that we realised afterwards." [14]
The band began recording the album on 3 January 2013, almost exactly three years after they began recording their previous album Lawless Darkness, and took about four months to complete. The exact order of the songs was left open during the recording of the album. The band also decided to record in multiple studios rather than just one as they had done for previous albums because "being in the studio for that long, working in various places, and traveling around like a bunch of fucking gypsies with equipment (laughs), it left its mark on the album." Danielsson added that the recording process was "emotionally very demanding and challenging", crediting this for "that extra dimension of diversity and you never know what you expect from it really. I think the whole recording process actually colored the album a lot." [15]
The final song to be written for the album was the closing track 'Holocaust Dawn', a song which Danielsson has explained means a lot to him personally. "It was a song, that in the end, kind of summed up the whole process of recording the album and everything we wanted to say with it. It is a song which is full of equal amounts of sorrow and tragedy as it is on the victory and triumph; about a very divine influence. The song just became very special. It was also the last song we wrote for the album and it was just one of those songs where after we did it, it was like – ok, we are done, that was that – you know." [16]
On the collector's edition of the album is an exclusive 7" which features a song titled 'XI'. Much of the music was written by Jon Nödtveidt, and the lyrics were provided by Set Teitan who was the guitarist in Nödtveidt's band Dissection at the time of his death. Erik Danielsson has said in an interview that
"I played bass with Dissection on their last three shows and Set Teitan, our guitar player, he played guitar in Dissection since after Jon came out of prison, so we have always had a very strong connection with Dissection. This song you’re referring to is called 'XI', and we recorded it during 'The Wild Hunt' sessions. To say it’s a special thing doesn’t really say it. It’s more, much more than that. It basically was a song that was still un-recorded by Dissection, that was written around the time of Reinkaos. It was never played live and never really properly finished like an actual song. We had the riffs and Set wrote the lyrics, and the people that now take care of the Dissection legacy approved of everything, of course. These things are you have to understand this isn’t just like doing a cover of a band. It’s about life and death and it’s about [...] preserving a legacy. [...] Through the 17 years that Watain have existed now, I think that’s one of the most special things we have ever done in a recording. [17]
The artwork for The Wild Hunt was created by Zbigniew M. Bielak using oils and other materials. Bielak was also responsible for the artwork of the band's previous album, Lawless Darkness. According to the band, the piece "depicts one of the inmost shrines of Watain's temple. As on every classic still life, each object has a significant meaning, while each song of the album is also connected to an object." [18]
The album was released on a variety of formats. Besides the standard CD version in a jewelcase, a limited edition mediabook CD version was also released. This was housed in a black slipcase with exclusive gold cover artwork (depicted to the right) with the mediabook inside. This featured a 24-page booklet. [18] A collector's edition limited to 2,000 copies was released exclusively through the band's Wolf Wear webstore. This featured the album on deluxe gatefold on two red 180 gram vinyl records; the limited edition mediabook CD version with 24-page booklet; an exclusive 7" record with the song 'XI' (an unreleased Dissection song written by Jon Nödtveidt, lyrics by Set Teitan, recorded by Watain during The Wild Hunt studio sessions); an exclusive 7" record with the bonus song 'When Stars No More Shine' in two versions (the original and a re-recorded 2013 version); a woven altar cloth; a poster; 5 postcards; a metal pin; and a signed and hand-numbered autograph card. This was packaged in a red box with exclusive artwork pressed in gold. [19] [18]
Watain announced the album title and release date for The Wild Hunt on 1 May 2013, confirming that the album was mixed at Necromorbus Studio in Sweden by Tore Stjerna. [20] On 12 June the band announced further details about the album title, artwork, and track listing. [21] On 24 June, the band premiered the single 'All That May Bleed' to promote the album, and was released the following day as a 7" single and as a digital download with a b-side cover of the song 'Play With the Devil' by Taiwaz. [22] On 9 July, the band provided further details about the various formats and editions it would be available in. [23] The band released a promotional flexi disc for Decibel subscribers featuring a cover of GG Allin's 'Fuck Off, We Murder' in the magazine's September issue. The band were featured on the issue's cover, and the issue included an interview with Danielsson about the album. [24] [25] The band were also featured on the covers of Terrorizer, Rock Tribune, Scream Magazine, and Sweden Rock. [26] The album's second single 'The Child Must Die' was premiered on Stereogum on 17 July, described by the band as "a song of sorrow and liberation, of the sacrifices that the path of adversity requires." [27]
A week before the album's release, Century Media released a special "bootleg" version of the album in the United States in certain independent record stores. This edition features a simple white sleeve and stamp, hand-numbered and limited to 500 copies. [28] The album was officially released on 19 August 2013 in Europe, and on 20 August in the United States. [29] The band also recorded their first music video for the song 'Outlaw', which was published on 5 December 2013. The video was directed by Watain and Johan Bååth, who also directed the band's 2012 DVD 'Opus Diaboli'. Erik Danielsson described it as "a knife stab in the face of today's clean and witty metal scene and yet another step for us to bring back something real and extreme into this limping music movement." [30]
"The Wild Hunt" world tour opened on 24 August 2013 in Watain's home town, Uppsala. [31] They toured across much of the United States with In Solitude and Tribulation. [32] They also toured across Europe, as well as Japan in 2015. [33] [34] On 15 June 2014 the band performed a 'special' show in Brooklyn, NYC at the Brooklyn Bazaar. This controversial performance went on to draw attention from news outlets due to the band drenching the crowd in pig's blood, and allegedly causing members of the audience to begin throwing up. [35] [36]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
About.com | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Blabbermouth | 8.5/10 [39] |
Exclaim! | 9/10 [40] |
Loudwire | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Metal Hammer | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MetalSucks | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 6.7/10 [44] |
Spin | 7/10 [45] |
Ultimate Guitar | 6/10 [46] |
The album received mostly positive reviews from music critics, however the change in style was a controversial point among critics and fans. Exclaim! wrote that the band "have opted to explore a more varied, but no less infernal sound on their fifth studio record", describing it as "a more diverse, exploratory effort than their previous offerings, employing down-tempo, moodier pieces like "The Child Must Die," alongside searing, charging monsters like "Sleepless Evil"." About.com were much more critical of the change. They criticized the song 'They Rode On', writing that its "sheer saccharine nature and obvious attempt at a cash grab wouldn’t be so laughable if the song just wasn’t so awful. It is, and sullies what is already, at best, an average melodic black metal album devoid of personality and a sense of viciousness or mystique." Pitchfork described the title track as "an awkward doom pose, like a tourist that knows the language of the land he’s visiting but lacks the subtlety or fluidity to engage native speakers", adding that "Outside of their element, Watain often sound simply like outsiders. They have strong interests and ideas, if not the experiences and abilities to actualize them. The effort is laudable, at least: Remember, Watain didn’t emerge as a fully formed great band, but they’ve grown into something of one. Maybe their clumsy stumbles, however public now, simply take time to perfect." Metal Hammer's Amit Sharma described it as "the most important album of Watains’s career: one which will see them rise into the mainstream or cast back into the pits of the underground." Sharma praised the album's production, noting that "this is the most accessible Watain have ever sounded", while noting that none of their "venom" has been diminished by this change. The review concluded that with "more texture than anything Watain have recorded before, The Wild Hunt is the sound of Sweden’s deadliest soldiers of the night bringing their darkness closer to the light of day."
Award | Publication | Position |
---|---|---|
AllMusic's Favorite Metal Albums of 2013 | AllMusic | — [47] |
Top 40 Albums of 2013 | Decibel | 37 [48] |
The 5 Best Extreme Metal Albums of 2013 | Kerrang! | 1 [49] |
Top 100 Metal & Rock Albums of 2013 | New Noise Magazine | 79 [50] |
Top 50 Albums of 2013 | Terrorizer | 3 [51] |
Best Metal of 2013 | The Quietus | 13 [52] |
All tracks are written by Watain.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Night Vision" (instrumental) | 3:38 |
2. | "De Profundis" | 4:33 |
3. | "Black Flames March" | 6:20 |
4. | "All That May Bleed" | 4:41 |
5. | "The Child Must Die" | 6:04 |
6. | "They Rode On" | 8:43 |
7. | "Sleepless Evil" | 5:37 |
8. | "The Wild Hunt" | 6:20 |
9. | "Outlaw" | 5:07 |
10. | "Ignem Veni Mittere" (instrumental) | 4:39 |
11. | "Holocaust Dawn" | 7:07 |
Total length: | 61:29 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "When Stars No More Shine" | 6:27 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "XI" | Set Teitan | Jon Nödtveidt, Watain | 3:21 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "When Stars No More Shine" (1998 version) | 3:03 |
2. | "When Stars No More Shine" (2013 version) | 3:29 |
Chart (2013) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [53] | 132 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [54] | 166 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [55] | 25 |
French Albums (SNEP) [56] | 164 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [57] | 18 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [58] | 1 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [59] | 73 |
US Billboard 200 [8] | 158 |
US Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard )[ citation needed ] | 6 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[ citation needed ] | 6 |
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[ citation needed ] | 15 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[ citation needed ] | 50 |
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in Langhus in 1984. They were one of the founders of the Norwegian black metal scene and their music has strongly influenced the black metal genre. Mayhem's early career was highly controversial, primarily due to their notorious live performances, the 1991 suicide of vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin ("Dead") and the 1993 murder of guitarist Øystein Aarseth ("Euronymous") by former member Varg Vikernes of Burzum.
Heaven Shall Burn is a German extreme metal band from Saalfeld, formed in 1995. The band consists of vocalist Marcus Bischoff, guitarists Maik Weichert and Alexander Dietz, bassist Eric Bischoff and drummer Christian Bass. They are currently signed to Century Media. They have released eight studio albums, as well as a number of other records. One of their albums, Veto, entered the German album charts at number 2 in 2013, with their latest, Of Truth and Sacrifice, reaching number 1.
Storm of the Light's Bane is the second full-length album by Swedish black metal band Dissection. It was released on 17 November 1995 by Nuclear Blast. This would be the band's last full-length album before Nödtveidt's 1997 incarceration for the felony murder of Josef ben Meddour. It would not be until 2006 that they would release their third and final album Reinkaos, which was followed by the breakup of the band and Jon Nödtveidt's suicide shortly after. As with the band's debut album, Kristian 'Necrolord' Wåhlin created the artwork.
Reinkaos is the third and final studio album by Swedish black/melodic death metal band Dissection. It was released through the band's own label Black Horizon Music, which they had formed "out of the need of taking charge of our own business and making things our own way, without compromise". Reinkaos is also available as autographed limited first edition: CD packed in exclusive embossed slipcase, limited to 1,001 hand-numbered copies signed by the band members; including the music video for "Starless Aeon" and a sticker.
Davide Totaro, known professionally as Set Teitan or Sethlans Teitan, is an Italian guitarist based in Sweden. He was the guitarist of industrial black metal band Aborym from 1997 to 2005, lead guitarist for Bloodline from 2000 to 2005, as well as the second guitarist of the Swedish black/melodic death metal band Dissection. From 2005 to 2018, he performed as lead guitarist for Watain, but in 2018, he stepped away from the band after a photograph surfaced of him giving the Nazi salute. He has also performed on Arckanum's albums Antikosmos and ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ.
Watain is a Swedish black metal band, formed in 1998. The band's name is taken from an early recording by the American black metal group Von. The band have become famous for their Theistic Satanist views and for their live shows which involve pyrotechnics, candles, Satanic rituals, animal carcasses, and blood. At a now-notorious live performance in Brooklyn in 2014, they doused audience members in animal blood, allegedly causing some members of the audience to vomit. This was picked up and publicised by TMZ, generating controversy around the incident. To date they have released seven full-length albums, as well as three live albums and a number of demos and EPs. Their most recent album The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain was released on 29 April 2022 through Nuclear Blast. The band's core lineup has remained stable since their formation, consisting of Erik Danielsson, Pelle Forsberg, and Håkan Jonsson, though as of 2015 Jonsson no longer performs live, Emil Svensson of fellow Uppsala death metal band Degial was recruited as live drummer.
Root is a Czech black metal band.
Sworn to the Dark is the third studio album by Watain and was released on 19 February 2007 on Season of Mist. The album received very positive reviews from music critics and has been described as the band's "breakthrough" album. The song 'Legions of the Black Light' is dedicated to Dissection's vocalist Jon Nödtveidt who committed suicide in 2006.
The Essence of Black Purity is the third release by the black metal band Watain. It was released in 1999 on EP format on Grim Rune Records and was limited to 300 copies. Grim Rune website mentions that the EP "got a generally good response in the underground circuits." Similarly, Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic wrote that Watain "quickly gain[ed] underground credibility" with this "uncompromising 7" release".
Rabid Death's Curse is the first studio album by the black metal band Watain. It was released in 2000 on Drakkar Productions. It is notable as being the first and only album for which the band had two guitarists; from Rabid Death's Curse onwards, the band would be a trio. The song "Rabid Death's Curse" contains an audio sample from the film Friday the 13th. The album is considered a classic and was featured on German Rock Hard magazine's list 250 Black-Metal-Alben, die man kennen sollte.
Casus Luciferi is the second studio album by the black metal band Watain. It was released in 2003 on Drakkar Productions. It was also released on limited edition vinyl by Norma Evangelium Diaboli and, in 2004, on tape by the Romanian label Mirgilus Siculorum. The album was remastered and reissued in October 2008 with a bonus track, a live cover of the song "Watain" by Von that the band is named after.
Klagopsalmer is the sixth album by Shining. It was released on 30 June 2009, by Osmose Productions.
Armagedda is a Swedish black metal band that was founded in 1999.
Lawless Darkness is the fourth studio album by Swedish black metal band Watain, released through Season of Mist, on 7 June 2010. The cover art was made by Zbigniew M. Bielak, who also painted The Wild Hunt cover art. The album sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in the first week of its release, reaching no. 42 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart. The single "Reaping Death" was distributed in their home country of Sweden in the Sweden Rock magazine, and was certified gold in the band's home country on 21 April by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. The album received very positive reviews from music critics, and in 2011 the band were awarded the Swedish Grammi for 'Best Hard Rock' album for Lawless Darkness.
"Reaping Death" is a single by Swedish black metal band Watain from the album Lawless Darkness. "Reaping Death" was released as a CD single on 6 April 2010 and a 7-inch picture disc on 30 April.
Envoy of Lucifer is the fourth full-length studio album from Swedish black metal band Nifelheim. Released in 2007, it is their first album for Regain Records after they switched from Black Sun following the release of Servants of Darkness in 2000.
Black Anvil is an American black metal band from New York City. It formed in 2007 with Paul Delaney, Gary Bennett and Raeph Glicken. When asked, Delaney said “Gary actually came up with name, which is a cross between a Black Sabbath reference and a Judas Priest song.” It is one of the few bands in the New York City black metal scene.
Delirium is the eighth studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. It was released by Century Media Records on May 27, 2016. This is the first album to not feature long time drummer Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati, rhythm guitarist Cristiano "Pizza" Migliore, who retired from the band on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2014, and lead guitarist Marco "Maus" Biazzi, who left the band just before recording sessions, making it the first album since their debut to feature other band members, and the first one completely recorded and mixed in Italy.
Heritage of Satan is the ninth studio album by the Czech black/heavy metal band Root, released on 25 October 2011 by Agonia Records. It was the band's first album to be released by Agonia and their last with the guitarist Marek "Ashok" Šmerda, who left the band three years later to join Cradle of Filth. The album uses many guest musicians, such as Erik Danielsson from Watain, Nergal from Behemoth and Blasphemer from Mayhem, Aura Noir and Ava Inferi.
Trident Wolf Eclipse is the sixth full-length studio album by the Swedish black metal band Watain. The album was released on January 5, 2018, through Century Media Records. The album marks a significant shift away from the progressive style of Watain's previous album, The Wild Hunt, and a return to their earlier more traditional and aggressive black metal sound. According to frontman Erik Danielsson, the album title should be read as three separate words which were chosen to represent symbolic concepts which the band consider central to their music. Trident Wolf Eclipse received generally favourable reviews from music critics upon release.