Wolfhorde – ‘Bloodmoon Symphonies’ (2024)
Rating: 8.9/10
Release: 30 August 2024
Label: Inverse Records
As advertised, Wolfhorde’s Bloodmoon Symphonies is a melodic and sometimes heavy release that plays with various ambient orchestrations and delivers a competent, rich product sometimes at the expense of aggression.
Bloodmoon Symphonies, Wolfhorde’s latest effort, has several compelling songs throughout it, most noticeably its opener “Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog”, the instrumental track “Anubis”, and arguably “Last Good Fight”. The first of these showcases everything strong on the album and is one of the high points of brute savagery present on this album, “Anubis” is a demo for all the orchestrations and what the band can accomplish with their “cinematic” soundscapes, and “Last Good Fight” combines the melodic intricacies with all the bite of the opener to the best effect of everything on the album. The salt and pepper vocals on the aforementioned track is also the best balanced vocal approach of all the other tracks. While I give this album points for having such a varied and dynamic array of songs on offer and that they can in no sense be described as formulaic, Wolfhorde teeters on the edge of that pit of cinematic and synth chopstick salad Wintersun fell into with their latest release, and in this case at least walking the tightrope was quite the performance in itself.
The album is not without its ruffs, not quite frilly but never completely relentless, altogether a tasteful middle ground for a Metalhead without the desire for his musical mix on the rocks. With this being my first exposure to Wolfhorde I will say the album is decent enough to compel a look through their back catalog without occupying too much headspace in itself, but it seems the kind of release to grow on me. Overall worth the listen for those who prefers a wider spread when they play with the aces held back for the hands that count.
Tracklist
- Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog
- Forsaken Shrine
- Tormented (Beyond Apprehension)
- Kuoleman Mustat Siivet
- Anubis
- Phantom Queen
- Last Good Fight
- Bloodmoon Symphony