In a genre obsessed with pushing the limits of music, decency, and sanity to their extremes, a band like
Watain, who are able to innovate without completely alienating listeners is a special thing. For their fifth album, the Swedish 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. [In 2016,
Wild Hunt was released in a two-LP edition pressed on 180-gram vinyl and including a digital download insert.] ~ Gregory Heaney