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Blog Categories Review Wolfcross – From The North - Reviewed By zwaremetalen!

Wolfcross – From The North - Reviewed By zwaremetalen! Thursday December 15 2022, 1:06 PM

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Wolfcross – From The North - Reviewed By zwaremetalen ! Check it out here at this link: https://zwaremetalen.com/albumrecensies/wolfcross-from-the-north

Whoever thinks of black metal tends to point to our northern neighbours. And for good reason. Where originally the band Venom came up with the term 'black metal', bands like Mayhem, Darkthrone, Emperor, Enslaved and many others have further shaped the genre. And Sweden also played (and still plays) a major role in this. So my interest is tickled when I read that a debut album from a Swedish black metal band is coming out. This is about Wolfcross and the album From The North . Thirteen in a dozen, or original?

Starting with So I Return , the lead melody immediately reminds me of Necrophobic and the style of black metal she plays ( Necrophobic is also from Sweden). That is a feeling that will not leave me for the rest of the album, but more on that later. If I look at the track objectively, there is enough black metal to enjoy. The riffs are raw, the drums powerful and the vocals icy. The tempo can be slowed down a bit with Old Sinner , which starts out almost like doom metal, but then turns into a mid-tempo banger again. The bass guitar comes through the mix wonderfully here, I must say. Halfway through the blast beats return and funnily enough Vorgoth's vocals remind me at times of Shagrath from Dimmu Borgir . Every time the track comes along I catch myself thinking that way. A little more straight forward black metal gets the listener with Enochian Key , at least… at the beginning. Soon it tends again to the style of a certain compatriot.

Then it's time for my favorite of this record, because of a memorable riff and vocal line: Magna Mater Daemonum . Admittedly, the title doesn't sound very good, but this is really a track to headbang to: pumping the fists in the air at the chorus and diving into the moshpit at the verses. Brutal death and destruction is what you get with Självmordspakt , as well as Possessed by Death . With Svart Speed Metal I occasionally feel a nod to Venom, especially the approach and structure of the composition. Pretty nice job! Then a track where I constantly get the feeling that this is a cover, but everything indicates that this is an original track. The chorus and the approach of the vocals sound so very familiar to me, but I can't remember where I've heard this before. Very frustrating. Do readers and listeners understand what I mean by this? Hekkensluiter and also the title track summarize what we have heard on this album.

For a debut album and a band that has only been around since 2015, Wolfcross more than pulls it off with From The North . Catchy songs, wonderful aggression, fine production and all in all the recipe for good black metal. But where there is clearly still some refinement needed, is in creating your own identity. I hear a lot of comparisons with compatriot Necrophobic , but not (yet?) at the same level. It is going too far to say that this is another dime a dozen, the gentlemen of Wolfcross are honestly too good for that, but there is certainly room for improvement. Nevertheless, this is a great achievement for a debut album!

rating:

74/100 - zwaremetalen

Release Date: November 4th, 2022

FFO: Bathory, Nifelheim and Marduk

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Short Bio: Wolfcross formed in 2015 by Jonas Bergkvist aka J. B. Vorgoth. Having been an active member of the death metal scene with bands like Desolator, Ending Quest and Soliloquium he needed to channel his anti-christianity and Nordic mythology ideas in another form, namely black metal. A demo was quickly written and recorded and released onto the world the same year as he formed the band. In 2019 a compilation album was released on CD with the bands demo material, whereas the 100 copies quickly sold out. Wolfcross has since gone from a solo project to a full line-up of four and a full-length debut has been in the making. After several successful live shows in Sweden the band are eager to release From the North to the world. Wolfcross is pure Swedish black metal forged in the flames of old and new whereas the band has captured the essence of the Swedish sound from the first wave to the present. The band is already booking shows all over Sweden as this Winter will become just a bit darker as Wolfcross sweeps over the nation. New and old fans of black metal will be sure to check this release out.

Pre-Order Link: https://grindtodeathrecords.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-north

Check them out on YouTube!