1) Feral Love is a post-rock anthem that opens with a nice brooding drone and chord progression which continues throughout. The dynamic contrast is subtle, but when she hits the more melodic lines it builds nicely. Chelsea later overlays another countermelody above that, with some fascinating polyrhythmic interplay. The song hits its climax as we return to the original motif for our outro. Great opening song for this album which establishes a very clear atmosphere and works as a cohesive piece when married with the rest of the album. (7/10)

2) We Hit a Wall is a cool shoegaze piece (this may be a misclassification, but it’s the closest genre I can prescribe). The song fails to really build substantially, absent of a peak. This piece can stand alone without much dynamic contrast, as it’s primarily focused on creating an ambiance, but the song failed to keep my interest. It’s a bit too repetitive for my tastes and unfortunately not memorable enough for me to want to listen more than once or twice (3/10)

3) House of Metal opens with a really fun synth pad in the bassline that keeps the piece moving, leading way to the key motif of this piece in the mallets (similar to a vibraphone, but I don’t think it’s a vibraphone because of the lack of echo). The bassline continues throughout, providing a moving harmonic pattern to differentiate from her melody line. The swell leading into the first chorus is nice, especially when accentuated by the piercing violin and “vibraphone” playing that instrumental motif. This piece is a modern take on a fugue in that each voice moves independently, but still creates a very clear wall of sound—again returning to that post-rock mentality of creating soundscapes. The drums build to bring us to the peak of the piece, before finally returning to the motif in the mallets, this time deconstructed, with a bit of distortion in the original chord progression. This is a solid piece all about creating a smooth vibe for easy listening, yet still eliciting that feeling of unease so characteristic of her doom/goth aesthetic. 5 minutes of repetition can certainly become tiresome, but the piece has enough momentum and enough variation to remain captivating. (9/10)

4) The Warden opens with the juxtaposition of a staccato percussive electronic feature and what feels like a take on a flamenco guitar, giving us that typical harmonic minor mode we come to expect from flamenco music—in fact, it harkens back to the Gerudo Valley Theme from Ocarina of Time. To be honest, it’s a tired chord progression for minor keys, but Chelsea subverts our notions by varying our expectations, offering a slightly more unorthodox minor progression instead. Once we hit the first chorus, the chord progression changes dramatically, as we’re treated to a series of lush chords in a now-major key! The warmth here is breathtaking. The staccato electronic rhythmic pattern drives Chelsea into our second verse, this time less decorated than the first time. We’re also treated to some nice eerie voice pops, because why not throw in a bit of that doo-wop feel into this song that’s already a cluster of genres, right? She returns to the verse again in a major key, treating us to some lush chords in the pad. We’re also treated to a gorgeous soprano line and what sounds like a piercing E-bow to round out the song’s climax as Chelsea implies some mode-mixing techniques. The chorus returns with some distorted vocal patterns as a return to those doo-wop elements, this time employing a more modern take on the vocal accents. The song gives one last nod to flamenco as the guitar closes the piece. This is one of the songs that introduced me to Chelsea Wolfe and it’s a masterclass in how to blend various experimental elements together seamlessly! Each voice in the ensemble has a clear purpose as Chelsea jumps in and out of the melody, allowing for these various other elements to take the forefront at various times. This song has only gotten better on each listen, but it is simultaneously sophisticated, experimental, ominous and fun. (10/10)

5) Destruction Makes the World Burn Brighter begins with an unexceptional verse, alternating between two chords. This first verse is Chelsea’s modern homage to Motown—the percussion pattern and “wall of sound” from the drumset, the alternating two chords and female harmonies harken back to the days of The Supremes or The Ronettes. The piece changes dramatically after these verses, driven by the distorted guitar and giving us some fascinating harmonies in the voice as Chelsea builds suspense. We return to the verse again, this time incorporating some elements from the interlude with a few guitar accents. The verse overstays its welcome just a bit, finally leading to our closing with a return to the instrumental interlude. This was a piece I thought I would dislike upon listening to the first verse, but it was delightful! I really enjoyed the stripped down nature of it, although I wish it were a bit shorter. (7/10)

6) Sick opens with a domineering harmonic pattern on synth organ that travels between brooding, suspenseful and triumphant. Seconds in, Chelsea joins, accompanying the synth organ which is, at this point, the key voice in this piece. The song layers as more voices join in, creating a rich pattern with some lush chords. The chord progression takes a backseat in this song, serving as a way to evoke emotion rather than the backbone or accompaniment to the other voices. The chord ends on a swell, leaving instead a single note in synth strings accompanying Chelsea. A lovely square pad bassline leads us into the next movement as Chelsea’s filtered voice cuts pierces through. Chelsea begins the next verse accompanied by the bassline as a chorus fills in the chords as we progress. This section goes on for a long time, but the bassline and accompanying vocal and string harmonies create the momentum necessary to keep it interesting, with this section being by far my favorite in the piece. The voices fade out, leaving Chelsea unadorned by the final note. This is exceptional music! The use of filter on the voice, the tasteful bass pattern, the string embellishments and more all create a piece greater than the sum of its parts. (10/10)

7) Kings opens with a tacky synth brass chord as the drumset joins with a swinging percussive pattern. Chelsea opens up as she finishes the first phrase, transitioning to a more ominous progression and playing with harmony as she dips in and out of dissonance—made more obvious by the countermelody below her. We’re treated to a quick break with the percussion and a glissando in the main voice, as Chelsea continues into the next phrase. A tasteful tenor sax pattern accompanies her voice here to help build some tension in the piece and it’s arguably the best element on the album so far (cacophonous saxophone is always a welcome addition in my opinion). We hit an unadorned guitar pattern as we transition into the next section. The chords mimic the guitar pattern, with a warm texture, in a walkdown pattern of major 7ths as we’re treated to a soundscape that showcases Chelsea’s interpretation of big band jazz, yet with that shoegaze flair. The tenor sax line continues, bringing back some of the piece’s earlier motifs. Chelsea takes a backseat here with her voice serving as an accompaniment to the rest of the ensemble as the piece swells to a final close. This is easily the best song on the album. Wolfe is known for co-opting elements form a variety of genres, and we see elements from shoegaze and post-rock to chamber pop and jazz. The effortless meshing of styles and elements is sublime. (10/10)

8) Reins beings with Chelsea singing a cappella, as an acoustic guitar joins her—the first time we’ve heard an acoustic guitar clearly on this album! Electric guitar and synth join her, with the electric guitar taking over for our acoustic guitar and the synth building volume by offering us a soprano voice above Chelsea’s own mezzo-soprano. Chelsea’s melisma gives us some much-needed dissonance as the accompaniment continues. We’re treated to what sounds like the opening of Survivor in the percussion, followed by Chelsea again, with the horses taking her by the reins. We get a percussive synth pattern bringing us from phrase to phrase, alternating between taking control and allowing Chelsea the reins. As we continue with this section, we’re treated to a chorus accompanying our percussive synth pattern in-between Chelsea’s melody, as we float from voice to voice for the melody line. This section ends as we remain on the tonic as Chelsea again takes control of the melody, as another voice is overlaid. The piece decrescendos as we finally end. This song featured two alternating chords for 5 minutes, but there was so much variation in texture, orchestration and volume that it never felt boring or too simple. The atmosphere was characteristically Chelsea Wolfe and this piece was a really easy listen. (9/10)

9) Ancestors, The Ancients opens up with Chelsea Wolfe singing a melody we’d expect to hear from the likes of Eisley or Now, Now—great bands also worth a listen! Her melody line is accompanied by a pretty tired minor chord progression (i – VII – VI – V). The square pad accompaniment gives us a pattern of eighth notes as we follow Chelsea’s melody line, with slight accents by electric guitar and another voice. Most of the build comes from Chelsea’s handling of the melody line rather than in the texture of the accompaniment, but she can only do so much, and the piece suffers from a lack of a clear climax, as we never build again. We finally end with some nice glissandos from a synth voice, but it’s rather unremarkable so late in the song. Above all else, this song erred on the side of boring, and while it’s not a bad song, it failed to stand out on an album with so many great showings. (5/10)

10) They’ll Clap When You’re Gone again opens with a very simple melody from Chelsea that mimics the likes of dream pop artists, although has a bit of that psychedelic/punk vibrato reminiscent of Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick. The piece has a pretty unremarkable first verse, with the accompaniment backing out to put Chelsea at the forefront for our first chorus. Our second verse opens slightly stronger, as Chelsea dances from note to note, slurring her notes more often than not. The acoustic guitar rhythmic pattern continues in the background as we’re treating to some sustained notes from the cello accompaniment. We finally hit a strong chorus toward the end, as our cello begins a moving pattern and Chelsea deconstructs her melody line ever so slightly. This piece, like Ancestors, the Ancients, suffered from being bland in an album full of some pretty meaty songs. (3/10)

11) The Waves Have Come opens with a fascinating chord progression (IV – I6 – I – vi), subverting our expectations of a simple walkup pattern (think Coldplay’s “Fix You” or Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide”). Chelsea’s melody line is simple, with most of the momentum coming from our piano using an alternating pattern to help set the harmonic structure of the piece. Another voice joins in harmony, as again I’m reminded of Eisley in the timbre of her voice and the structure of her melody. About 2 minutes in, we get a massive deviation from the structure so far in a rubato chorus. We return to a much stronger melody in the next verse, with a building pattern from the drums and some more cello. The vocal harmony is much more pronounced as well, while the bass drum continues the build. The voices leave one by one, returning in a large swell to our chorus again. We decrescendo for a quiet third voice, as Chelsea again flirts with each note, slurring her notes more often than hitting them very sharply. The piano becomes more percussive, instead accenting the off-beats, which leads to an awkward entry into our bridge, which is swelling and with a chord progression that changes with each section of the bridge ever so slightly, keeping us wanting more. Other voices cut out, leaving us with a piano and string accompaniment to Chelsea as she finally cuts out as well. The final minute gives us piano and strings at the forefront, with a gradual decrescendo to our close. This piece suffered mostly from a lack of consistency, featuring both breathtaking and bland moments. The bridge offers one of the greatest sections in the entire album, but the buildup is slow. 8 and a half minutes is incredibly tough to maintain an audience’s interest, but this piece’s highs are so good that I can forgive that. (8/10)

12) Lone is the last piece on the album, opening with Chelsea singing, accompanied by a lone acoustic guitar with a nice chord progression (ii – IV – vi – I). We get an electric guitar with a very post-rock distortion toward the latter half as other voices join in. Here, Chelsea takes a bit of a back seat, as the instruments take root, giving us a subtle ending. This one failed to stand out among the rest of the album, especially an album so full of energy. (6/10)

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Overall Thoughts:

This is such a good album! Lots of great songs, lots of great moments, but Chelsea never really seems to take the forefront of the album, as a lot of it rests primarily on her accompaniments. When front and center, Chelsea’s vocal prowess is evident. The album jumps from genre to genre, drawing from numerous decades of inspiration, and is among my favorite I’ve heard this year!

I Wolfe Listen Again:

Feral Love

House of Metal

The Warden

Sick

Kings

Reins

The Waves Would Come

I Don’t Chelsea Why People Like These:

We Hit a Wall

Ancestors, the Ancients

They’ll Clap When You’re Gone

Lone

10 Recommendations Based on This:

Sigur Rós: Kveikur

Grouper: The Man Who Died in His Boat

The Notwist: Neon Golden

Hammock: Then the Quiet Explosion

Immanu El: They’ll Come, They’ll Come

Eisley: The Valley

Me Like Bees: The Ides

13 & God: 13 & God

Totorro: Totorro

mewithoutyou: Pale Horses