WOLFPATH „Wolfpath”

A.D.G. Records, January 2023

Music: Black Metal
Website:
https://www.facebook.com/wilczadroga/
https://wolfpath.bandcamp.com/album/wolfpath
Duration: 23:01 (6 tracks)
Country: Poland

WOLFPATH is a relatively new band that debuted with selftitled EP in 2023. Over the last few years, quite a few Polish bands have emerged and presented their own versions of black metal. At the moment, this one looks like a typical studio project, as it was recorded with a two-member line-up and no touring plans. I hope that the musicians will not stop at this point and will not focus only on publishing activity.

The album is full of cold Norwegian atmosphere from the first seconds until the very end. Musically, it is quite traditional and probably predictable in a way, although I don’t write this to criticise, because the convention is obvious here, so no explanation is needed. It is easy to hear that the artists had a clear aim to present black metal in its pure form and so they did. Throughout the album, although short, we will not experience musical monotony. Fast and uncompromising tracks such as ‘Cursed Moon’ and ‘Constellation of Fire’ are in majority, but in ‘Return Ov The Freezing Void’ we have mainly a slower and interestingly swinging tempo, which only at the very end accelerates to full speed. This track is definitely one of those that stand out because of the very well-built tension and we can only regret that it ends so quickly, as it could have been a little longer. For those familiar with the subject matter, the title may give some suggestions, especially hearing the slow intro at the very beginning of the track. Surely, it is not a copy of the Norwegian classic, but more of a nod to the experienced colleagues. Another less obvious song is the closing one called ‘Wolf’, which suprisingly has some melodies in the main riff and the vocalist seems to scream with less fury than before. In writing, this may look “scary” to die hard listeners, but I assure you that this track is not a mild one. The aforementioned ‘softening’ is only temporary and it only adds some extra colour to this song.

I like those little nuances like the abovementioned musical experiments or the fact that one track is recorded in Polish. Although the album includes only six tracks, including one interludium, you can hear that the musicians have the vision of their identity. It is very good that they do not limit themselves to mindlessly copying what has already been composed in various ways throughout all the years of the genre’s existence. Of course, one can complain about a few details, such as rather clichéd riffs like the main one in ‘Cursed Moon’, or to rather monotonous vocals. This is why, I hope that the album will meet with the public’s interest and that WOLFPATH will show its full face to the world in both studio and live versions.

Tracklist:
Cursed Moon
Wolfpath
Return Ov The Freezing Void
Konstelacja Ognia
Z Popiołów
Wolf

Line-up:
Void – vocals, guitars, bass and keyboards
Marcello – drums

Rate: 7.0/10