Taking black metal by storm, or maybe pushing black metal out of the basements and into the conscious of many whom have ignored the genre thus far, Wolves in the Throne Room give the listening world their third full-length album, Black Cascade, as further evidence of their genre label being too constrictive. Wolves in the Throne Room seem to subscribe to some rather heady philosophies from the manner with which their music slowly unfolds, and the songs that the band compose contain an organic quality that is full of a broad range of emotions. This singular aspect (and not the only one mind you) definitely set them apart and makes the case that calling this outfit a black metal band is a disservice to their music.
If nothing else, Black Cascade seems to absolutely explode off the record. Wolves in the Throne Room successfully marry some of the sounds more akin to a post-rock band like Explosions in the Sky to a backbone of some rather vicious black metal; the leads are soaring melodic progressions that utilize the fast raw drumming and rhythm guitars that usually define black metal to their sonic advantage. The songs all sound massive with their grand sound and sweeping movement (see Ahrimanic Trance" as evidence). Black Cascade plants its dynamic powers in the high category most of the times, which lends a "huge" quality to the music. The songs all have a very natural progression and feel very organic and not forced although a there seems to be a hint of a Wolves in the Throne Room formula at times, which can cause the album to be a bit long at the same time.
Black Cascade is a good record, and it is easy to see why people seem to be so high, opinion wise, on Wolves in the Throne Room. The band truly bridges some musical gaps with their songwriting and pushes black metal as a musical motif to new levels that other groups do not, probably alienating quite a few "cvlt" black metal aficionados to absolutely cringe. The sparse "quiet" moments on the album really hurt the record as there are no substantial sonic lows to balance out the great sounding highs, possibly leaving listeners with a feeling of sonic overload (I know that I was feeling that at times). The slower, more pensive moments sound huge and have layer upon layer of sound leaving any sense of minimalism out the door. Still, mild criticism aside, Black Cascade is quite good and worth several spins.
