MALEVOLENT GRAIN

One of the most pleasant releases this year, a wonderful 2-song EP from Black Metal gurus, WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM. A cult band for the genre, well-known beyond it, respected in prog/experimental music circles, it has always been a mystery for me. I liked everything about them, their image, their attitude, their manner, everything - except for their music. But 2009 seems to be the year for releases that bring me love to bands' music first (like it has happened with MASTODON already).

So this maybe a definitive release, if you're a WitTR newbie or just can't get into them. Just two tracks, and both are awesome, with my personal favourite being "A Looming Resonance"; haunting female lead vocal, simple yet touching chord progression, "shoegaze-metal" at its best, culminating into bright drone coda. "Hate Crystal" shows more usual WitTR approach, creepy epic Black Metal, but well-contrasting with touching opener. A great introduction for WOLVES' beginners and definitely their best material to date. Highly recommended!