Celestial Lineage
Celestial Lineage expands Wolves in the Throne Room's music without losing its rough core. Guitars, rapid drums and a harsh voice remain important, joined by more keyboards, clear singing and brief atmospheric pieces. The record feels coherent because those elements share the same dark, sometimes sorrowful character.
Thuja Magus Imperium immediately establishes much of the approach. A light female voice and delicate sounds give way to forceful guitar movement. The melodies remain present as the music grows heavier. Its strength comes from that development as much as its scale.
Permanent Changes in Consciousness and Rainbow Illness provide brief resting points. They interrupt the music without standing apart from it, allowing the longer pieces more room to distinguish themselves. Subterranean Initiation brings the aggressive side forward again, while Woodland Cathedral chooses a much more open mood through its clear singing.
Astral Blood provides the convincing high point. Space in the middle and the subsequent development give the guitar parts additional weight. Atmosphere and force remain well balanced. The band shows that an extended song need not stay equally full throughout to maintain its tension.
Prayer of Transformation chooses a more sombre ending. Its slower, heavy movement fits the record, although its direction is not always equally focused. It sometimes extends the tension longer than necessary. The strong coherence preceding it makes that limitation less significant. Celestial Lineage uses richer arrangements to clarify the band's individual identity. Its gentler sounds do not reduce its conviction as black metal; they give the aggressive passages a broader emotional effect and make the album's contrasts more meaningful.
