The Wrath of Gaia

I've heard a good deal about Wolven Ancestry from friends and internet forums alike. It's usually accompanied with words like "epic", "driving", and "grandiose", and it almost always calls attention to the symphonic elements of the band's sound. I've even heard the band described as "Canada's hidden gem", which is high praise to my ears considering the untouchable output of bands like Begotten or Ifernach.

Put simply, they don't live up to the hype.

To start with, the supposed "symphonic elements" are nowhere to be found. Granted, to me this is far from a black mark - the fewer synthesized string and brass sections I hear on a record the better. Unfortunately, it appears that what people describe as "symphonic elements" would be more aptly described as "shitty keyboard parts". Few if any of them actually add to the songs; the rest do very little more than fill space. Top it off with mixing that makes it sound like the keyboardist was playing in a different room than the rest of the band, and one begins to imagine that the keys were just overdubbed at the last minute when the band realized they'd forgotten to write any interesting riffs.

Problems abound elsewhere, too. The vocal rhythms are insanely predictable, and the dry-throated croak with which they're delivered does them no favors. Here and there, these vocals will give way to a halfway-decent growl, but such moments are far too rare to make an impact on the overall impression. And while all the instruments are performed capably, they're just plain boring. Every idea on the album had already been thought of five years earlier by other bands I hate.

The cherry on top is surely the instrumental sections, which are completely and exceptionlessly ruined by (you guessed it) needless keyboard parts. The worst offender is the sixth track (which I won't name, since every song title is absurdly, pretentiously long). It begins with a keyboard/guitar duet (which, incidentally, sounds more like French accordion music) then introduces the actual metal song with what I can only describe as a distressed toddler's scream - a scream which I am to understand was performed by an adult man and deliberately kept in the track by a collection of other adults.

I generally try not to get down on bands so much, but then I generally try to avoid albums that suck this much. To get an idea of the sound, imagine black metal as made by top-hat and tailcoat-wearing steampunk enthusiasts whose only exposure to the genre was Dimmu Borgir's early-00's output. I could cobble together some "redeeming features", like the occasional appearance of a good lyric or the fact that the first thirty seconds of the album sound all right, but what would be the purpose? Nothing good about this album is near enough to outweigh the mountains of reasons why The Wrath of Gaia is a bad record.

But hey, at least the cover art looks like a truck stop T-shirt.

Many will argue that Black Metal has strayed far from its roots, and that the present “era” is rampant with petty youngsters who try their hardest to be as “evil” and “pagan” as possible whilst they prostitute their music through Myspace and other similar media outlets. Some go so far as to say that Black Metal has become a trend, with the far-reaching acceptance of the new audience compromising the original principles of the genre. The consolidation of these feelings are often childishly conveyed in the (ironically now popular) phrase “Black Metal is dead”. Is there any basis to these sentiments? I often have flirted with the thought of Black Metal being “dead”, but these petty flirtations are curbed every time I hear a band like Wolven Ancestry. Wolven Ancestry are living proof that Black Metal is far from dead, in fact, they prove that it is so alive, that even a horrendous third rate act from the “DimmuCradleSymph” infatuation can be considered acceptable – and even good – by listeners.

Actually, it is unfair to simply categorise this band with Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth, for both the aforementioned have/had strong neo-symphonics and potent drumming that at least kept their gravely horrendous creations afloat. Conversely, Wolven Ancestry employs unarticulated and immature keyboard melodies to overcast the barren wasteland of impotent guitar playing and comparatively petty drumming. Mind you, in this age of completely inorganic musical base, it is hard to decipher in recordings whether a drum machine or an electronic kit is utilised for recording, and this album is blatantly reflective of such. But it is of no matter: whether programmed or preformed, the creator has contributed no redeeming qualities whatsoever to the music. It is actually fair to say that the feeble programming (which it more likely is) was done by someone with little to no concept of simple blasting patterns and intensity – it is best defined using the very words of Wolven Ancestry: “[a] programmed cyborg, without a thesis or worth.” The guitar work militantly follows suit with this definition, endlessly circumventing sadly unoriginal and unimpressive regressions that even the most ardent fan mustn’t find any intrinsic value in. Is that the poorly-written death metal riff implanted sporadically into the song? Just as anticipated, and just as would be by any listener who has had the pleasure (comparatively to this) of hearing any Cradle of Filth album. Though, to the advantage of this band, their lyrics are seamless with the rest of the music, championing droll symbolic descriptions of snuff with effeminate undertones. It is to no surprise that the album is entitled, and thus assumed to be hearted in, the wrath of Gaia, the lunar goddess of all things earthy and feminine (palpably including their music). With their heavy feminine praise, I am sure they will win the hearts of many over-weight fourteen year old Goths, who stand unaided as those whom Wolven Ancestry’s music will fool. With that, is it fair to draw analogical comparison of the degradation of Black Metal with the acceptance of Wolven Ancestry to the decline of Imperial Rome with the acceptance of Gaia in the pantheon? No - that would be giving Wolven Ancestry far more acknowledgment than is deserved.

Highlights of the album:
The dinky bell slide at 0:28 of the song “The Paralyzing Human Fear....”. This part, repeated various times in the song, actually had me laughing aloud. A definite highpoint.

4%

Wolven Ancestry’s self-released debut album, “The Wraith of Gaia” puts forward over 48 minutes of thought-provoking chaos. Eight songs with amazing titles like ‘The Paralyzing Human Fear Of All Which Is Essential To The Cyclical Nature Of Earthen Prosperity’ clocking in at decent lengths between 4:20 and 8:07 minutes, not to mention the sombre frostbitten intro.

Wolven Ancestry launches off introducing its own unique sound and atmosphere to the genre, playing some great melodic black metal full of chaotic rhythms and cold epic melodies. Every so often there are mystical lapses in chaos; the numinous sounds will throw you into a trance.

The album was released independently, a great effort from this Canadian band, and although there is no lyrics booklet, all the lyrics can be found on ‘metal-archives.com’.
There is an apparent tone throughout the album, one that I find quite appropriate.
The album focuses on nature, human shortcomings, battle in times of yore, and the pagan gods which provide a sense of kin to the spirits of the earth.

Wolven Ancestry is definitely a band to keep your eyes on as they are becoming quite highly regarded. I recommend this album of magnificent cold black metal chaos to anyone who claims to be a fan of the genre.