Watain

Sworn to the Dark

AJNA Offensive 2007

The new Kings of Swedish black metal have risen to replace Dissection on their now vacant throne following the death of Jon Nodveidt.  Not only did these guys take philosophical/religious teachings from Dissection’s mastermind but they also managed to grasp some of the musical lessons that their predecessor left for them.  Watain has matured their songwriting abilities as they have penned music that is not only more varied but also more memorable and accessible (blasphemy!!!!).  But that doesn’t mean that Watain have lost any of their venom or blackness for the sake of a wider commercial audience, it just means that they are growing and have become more wizened through experience.  To illustrate their tempered ferocity check out the buzzsaw beginning to Storm of the Antichrist which then submits to some thrashier mid-tempo riffing as well as some icy guitar leads only to thrust forward more unbridled and furious hatred.  As a counterpoint to Storm of the Antichrist, the Light that Burns the Sun is a slowly festering cauldron of melody and frostbitten disdain which recalls Dissection at their most evil.  The same can be said for the title track’s blasting and darkly harmonic riffing and anthem-like declaration during the song’s chorus.  Though not near as brutal or mind-blowingly fast as Casus Luciferi and Rabid Death’s Curse, I would say that Sworn to the Dark is just as pitch black at its heart as those two.  When these guys boldly proclaim they are sworn to the dark, you know it is a certainty and not mere antics.  Sworn to the Dark is comparable to a rawer, less melodic and more underground version of Dissection’s Storm of the Light’s Bane.  Sworn to the Dark is not a clone by any means though as Watain have imbued it with their own brand of modern Swedish darkness and have brought the listener closer to the black abyss than Dissection ever dared.  An example of Watain carrying their own torch on this album is the operatic and scorched Stellarvore with its majestic clean vocals and disharmonic guitar lines charred by stomping drum lines marching across the ashes of stars.  Having not only heard the new album but also having seen Watain live twice in the recent past I would say that they are certainly worthy heirs to the throne upon which they now sit.