Waidelotte - Celestial Shrine

 

Now this is an interesting one. Waidelotte is a Ukrainian progressive metal band who blend a whole variety of elements into their sound from folk music to black metal and jazz ending in a release that is truly unique and inspiring, a record that is wonderfully ambitious but surprisingly excellent at delivering its sonic vision. Celestial Shrine is an album that feels at once larger than life and also deeply personal, an anthem from people struggling and which seems to continually drive towards bold new heights of twisted fury. 

The beauty of this record is in its diversity, the bands ability to bring together progressive metal elements with ambient tunes (The album closer is an eight minute ambient piece) is distinctly entrancing. It speaks to a project that goes further and in more interesting directions than many of its peers. Celestial Shrine shines because of the elegance of the songwriting and the vision behind it that feels certain to keep people digging ever deeper. There aren't many records that come out that are as multi layered as this one, but Celestial Shrine finds a way to make the different pieces all come together into something addictive and undeniable. 

This is a broad sweeping record, one that at times feels like it might be too ambitious for its own good, but that's exactly what makes me love it. The band has found a way to dance all around the spectrum of their influences and do it in a way that makes sense and makes for compelling listening. Letting yourself get immersed in these visions is a delight and it speaks to the enduring power of a band who seem to be forging their own path. Benefiting from gorgeous production and potent songwriting, Celestial Shrine is going to entrance many metalheads looking for something fresh. 

Pre-order the album!

https://waidelottemusic.bandcamp.com/