You could say that 1349 came at the right place at the right time. Formed in 1997, the band wasn’t quite there when the Norwegian Black Metal creativity was at its highest peak, and by the time their debut was released the thunder of the second wave was all but distant rumbles. Right in this vacuum where the stalwarts of the scene were taking breaks or ventured in different directions, 1349 jumped in to fill a gap for the craving Black Metal fan. The adoration of 2003’s ‘Liberation’ and 2004’s ‘Beyond the Apocalypse’ can’t just be justified by an “it’s all we got” sort of explanation, but the band were lightyears away from the true monuments of early 2000’s Norwegian Black Metal, such as Taake’s stellar debut ‘Nattestid ser porten vid’.
While the band never was groundbreaking, in particular the third record ‘Hellfire’ was a solid album. That all came crashing down with the abysmal ‘Revelations of the Black Flame’, a confused and incoherent record that marked a departure from the blistering ferocity of the early albums. Fortunately, none of the later albums were as atrocious as that album, but it had marked a transition in sound. Certainly, Mayhem and Gorgoroth have left eternal marks on 1349, but the increased infusion of Thrash and more epic and melodic elements shifted the soundscape of the band. And that is something that persists on the band’s eighth album ‘The Wolf & the King’.
Let’s state first and foremost that the latest album is not a stale affair. The blistering pace of Frost’s drum work is awe-inspiring as ever, and much of the redeeming qualities of the album lie on his impressive musical performance. But ‘The Wolf & the King’ is also the album that moves the furthest away from a pure Black Metal record. Much of that has to do with a heavy infusion of riffs in the vein of Morbid Angel and even some Amon Amarth. Take for instance songs like ‘The God Devourer’ and ‘Inferior pathways’, which are just as much Death Metal as it is Black Metal. This is also in part due to the guitar sound, which lacks the Black Metal edge, as well as the slightly more guttural vocal approach. Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Behemoth, Morbid Angel, Keep of Kalessin, Amon Amarth, Immortal: ‘The Wolf & the King’ is probably the most versatile 1349 record in terms of references. It is at times fast, but often also catchy, chugging and even harmonious. And while there is not much wrong with the riffs per se, the songs as a whole each feel rather disjointed. Very few master the perfect marriage between Black and Death Metal, and this album is just not it.
‘The Wolf & the King’ does have some venom and it is not nearly as atrocious as ‘Revelations of the Black Flame’. But the forced emphasis on catchy lyrical choruses combined with a mishmash of riffs that are just neither here nor there makes it hard to connect with the record. Perhaps to some that are looking for a gateway from Death Metal into Black Metal it might appeal. But to me it’s mostly a confirmation that the band’s rise to fame came from a position and time of Norwegian Black Metal poverty, rather than one of quality.
Season of Mist
- Country: France
- Style: Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, Other
- Links: Homepage, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, Spotify, Youtube
