Revered and reviled in equal measure, Swedish black metallers Watain have been casting their spells over a bewitched audience for close to 25 years. Often gathering more notoriety for their live shows than their music, they aren’t hugely prolific, preferring to deliver quality over quantity, which has certainly been the case for their last two releases, 2018’s Trident Wolf Eclipse and 2013’s The Wild Hunt. At last, we can welcome their seventh long player, and The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain doesn’t let down in any way.
Recorded live by long-time colleague Tore Stjerna in his infamous Necromorbus studio, The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain sees ten songs written by the central core of Watain, Eric Danielsson, Håkan Jonsson and Pelle Forsberg. It’s also the first time the band have recorded live with a full line up that also included Alvaro Lillo, Hampus Eriksson, and Emil Svensson (Forcas) adding drums. Alongside the full band, there are additional contributions from Farida Lemouchi (ex The Devil’s Blood, now in Molasses) and Gottfrid Åhman (ex In Solitude, now in PÅGÅ).
The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain is a journey deep into the band’s very being. Lyrically the band delve deep into the complexity of the relationship between life and death. It’s focused, dark and very much an acquired taste. Musically, the album is as explosive as previous releases. The fires that rage in the opening Ecstasies in the Night Infinite are intense. The band are on blisteringly ferocious form, with brutal riffing, colossal blast beats and Danielsson’s trademark snearing vocal delivery. It’s a sinister atmosphere that Watain have created, and despite it being on digital, there’s still an air of unease when reviewing this record.
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“The Howling” that follows is another classic Watain track, underpinned by a driving aggression, there’s more melody and even forays into more routine thrash. It’s a song you’ll have stuck in your head for days and that’s not to say that Watain are making accessible, hooky music. This is very much the rampant demonic black metal.
Exploring deep into the human mind has always been a Watain source of lyrical conceptualism, and here the band explore evil, the enemy the unknown and the other. Music that Watain create is, as they readily confirm, not work to create peace, but to stir emotions and engage self- reflection. “Serimosa” genuinely reflects the chaos that the band encourage and live by, “Before the Cataclysm” is the genuine masterpiece on this album. A seven-minute sprawling beast, it slows the frenetic pace of much of the record, providing calmer waters mid-song before slowly rebuilding once more.
Watain don’t deliver for all. There is a black intensity that many may find too intimidating, too complex, or just too damn uncomfortable. “Funeral Winter” is as explosive black metal as you get, all shimmering riffs and Danielsson’s croaking roars. The album closer, “Septentrion” had me leaning for the dictionary. It’s literal meaning is used in ancient Latin and Norse to describe the North.
There is much to unpick in this album. I feel I’ve only scratched the surface and need to spend more time with it. It’s a burning flame in a darkened room, the passages are empty, and those that can have left. Taking the plunge on a Watain album is a moment of intensity. The rewards can be amazing.
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The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain is out on 29th April
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