WOLVES WINTER - SPELLS OF NECROMANCY REVIEW (By S.Stormhammer)

Wolves' Winter
Spells Of Necromancy (demo)

One thing about bands that I look for is how raw they are. It can either be a deliciously ear-mutilating kind ov raw, like Endelos by Angantyr, or it can be a disgusting type ov rawness, more because ov their production values rather than their music, such as the God's Death and Sadness demos from Absurd. Spells ov Necromancy happens to be the first kind, something immediately noticeable after the synth from the first track, Witchcraft, fades out. The guitars have this almost electric hum to them, which compliments both the drums and the gurgled vocals and in itself creates a desperate kind ov ambience to the overall feel ov the song.

Track two, Malleus Maleficarum, has a similar yet different feel to it, with the opening guitars sounding almost punk-ish and, bizarrely, reminded me ov surfing music. (Grim, hateful black metal surfers, I'm kind ov surprised Immortal hasn't tried to do that hahaha.) It comes together after the discordant intro, though, and redeems itself with the same desperation and angst found within the first track.

Distant Horizon Of the Spotless Mind is the longest song on the demo, but personally I feel it is the most superior because they change the atmospherics from the first two tracks into an entirely new beast much akin to early Satanic Warmaster or Dodsferd. They also rely more on the music than their vocals to paint a desolate scene with the eardrum-rupturing guitars and distorted drums, something I can truly appreciate.

Spell Of Necromancy, obviously the title track to the demo, lets down a little, more calm than the previous tracks. But after the intro, it gains momentum, reminding me vaguely ov some ov the works ov Xasthur. I found myself slightly disappointed in it compared to the others, mainly because they had this great momentum going, each track building on the previous one, and this one lets off on the attack and goes on the defense. I can appreciate the breakdown toward the end ov the song though, as it attempts to regain some ov the discord that the other two had. All in all, I must amend that this demo definitely shows promise. I would much like to hear them go in the direction that they hinted at with Distant Horizon Of the Spotless Mind, as it's majestic and hateful, much ov what either makes or breaks a talented musician. But, alas, only time will tell.

-- Reviewed by S. Stormhammer - TFE-Zine
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