The masters are back. Watain's first new record in 4 years, is a masterwork, a stunner that reminds fans what nearly a quarter century of experience crafting some of the most devastating and twisted black metal in the world can result in. The Agony & Ecstasy Of Watain sees the band pushing themselves to craft some of their most intricate and impressive works to date, all while maintaining that trademark smear of Watain grime. It's a record that captures the imagination and acts as a veritable tour de force for a band who have always had our blackened hearts.
What that makes this record special is its continued commitment to the bombast that has always defined this band. The epic opening bars to a track like "Leper's Grace" are delightful and speak to a band who have been going for it non stop for decades. The absolute firestorm that follow from the percussion section only adds to the hectic hatred that has helped to make this band so special. The throat ripping assault of Watain is mesmerizing, no matter the year and it speaks to a real sense of metal madness that only the best in the genre can ever really compare too. Watain are perhaps the black metal band par excellence, and they know it.
The best black metal often has a sort of 'rock and roll' component too it, a sense of twisted blasphemy to Chuck Berry's music. Watain have always been one of the bands who understands this better than anyone. The Agony & Ecstasy Of Watain is wholly a black metal record, but one that goes over the top and is drunk on its own blood. This is the magic of the band and letting yourself get immersed in their unending slaughter is going to keep you coming back, for this record, and the next, and the next, until the world ends.
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