| | Full Review | Ratings (742) |
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| 4.0 excellent | Trey STAFF | March 15th 09 |
This is the black metal album I've been trying to find for years. Every time I heard another black metal album and was slightly disappointed and didn't know why; I know why now. This is epic without using all the keyboards, backing female vocals, or shitty productions that most black metal bands use (all or some of) in order to get their sound. Despite the lengths, the songs never feel too long and they're not bogged down by silence in the name of "atmosphere". This is just just straight-up black metal with just enough melody in the riffs to stay interesting. What else can be said, I liked their previous albums, but this blows them all away.
7 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.0 good | Iluvatar | March 17th 09 |
I don't know why people go crazy for Two Hunters or this. I guess when an american black metal band doesn't suck it must mean they are amazing.
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| 4.7 superb | Gary STAFF | April 23rd 24 |
I was too harsh on this for a very long time. But now, feeling down and broken, the dark beauty of this release could fully embrace me. I get it now.
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| 0.0 | rasputin | March 22nd 09 |
It's unfortunate that with such a strong premise behind them, Wolves in the Throne still managed to make what is essentially a dull and uninteresting record with The Black Cascade. The promise that they showed on their debut Diadem of 12 Stars began to dissipate immediately with their next record, and their recently released EP Malevolent Grain, along with the album in question, were the final steps in their descent into mediocrity. The Black Cascade is far more of a straight black metal album than the band’s previous efforts, and even where their initial atmospherics weren’t all that great, their absence is sorely noted; the four tracks on the record are nothing but bland tremolo riffing going through various progressions, both tedious and emotionless. There is nothing that really distinguishes any of the songs, and they go past at an extraordinarily slow pace. Ultimately, it’s the sort of album that you just can’t wait to finish and forget.
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| 4.0 excellent | heylelshalem | March 9th 09 |
haha wintr put out a raw black metal album. i'll have to check it out. I think they are trying to save their cred in the metal scene by making their new music inaccessable to the hipster fucks. yay! I am listening to it right now and screw the haters. they don't know what real black metal is if they can't handle this. i can already tell this album is going in heavy rotation alongside old mans child, burzum and some of the other older black metal bands i listen to. hell yeah, fuck the hipsters! this is a good blackmetal album!
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| 2.5 average | masscows | March 8th 09 |
This is so boring. It's like Weakling's Dead As Dreams except really flowery and even more, well, boring. The songs are put together poorly and drone on to no point, the vocals are overly intrusive, and something about the drumming kind of irks me.
Huge disappointment. Nowhere near as good as their other albums.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.0 good | Bedex | February 19th 22 |
An album I found very underwhelming, without seeing an organic reason why such as lineup change or even artistic direction change. It just doesn't feel as well crafted as LP1/2. At best, it is good run-of-the mill bm, but I was hardly ever wowed. 1 starts with very standard bm with a soft-ish prod that gets dull after a while, though the last few minutes are a bit better and get more cascadianly epic. 2 overall is far far better (albeit still your standard bm), but after the slow bit at min 10-11 which I am not a fan of anyways, it just dies out, and then 3 starts on a fade in. That's a fair few minutes of nothing. After the fadein, 3 is kinda awkward too, but after min 4 it does get back to fairly nicely cascadian standard bm. The calm-riff contrast at 7:30 did work much for me, but again the alst few min were a bit better and angrier which I enjoyed despite a nearly nonexistent conclusion. 4 has a cool intro riff that doesnt unfold very well. I'll concede the calmer part around min 6 is quite pretty and the reprise at min 9 isn't bad either, which earns the album a point. The ending with the guitars ringing and a slight fadeout to conclude is okay but really not engaging. Good think the album isn't 1hr+ long otherwise the rating would be quite poor. 3.2
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| 4.0 excellent | GamamJ | March 11th 20 |
I think the best moments of Two Hunters were better than the best moments of this one, however this one was better as a full-length due to containing much fewer interludes
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| 3.1 good | Erwann S. STAFF | February 3rd 20 |
Basically they drastically lower the amount of ambient and folky passages on this one. It thus sounds much less unique, as it can be compared to the hordes of atmoblack records released in the past 25 years. While there are some moving moments (the added synths during track 2 almost matches their first two records' atmosphere), this lost the personality the band showcased with Diadem and Two Hunters. If some might dig this more aggressive approach, the loss of ambient passages and folkier touches contribute to a more traditional black metal. Even though it's by no means bad, such a genre has already known its fair share of interesting records for this one to be no more than a good addition to one's collection.
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| 3.5 great | cjbizzlebizzle | April 6th 17 |
Perhaps not as dense and rich with atmosphere but darker and heavier than the previous WITTR releases but still a great black metal album. Repetitive and entrancing guitar riffs with excellent shrill vocals to match. Almost like black metal meditation at times but when things do transition the riffs are very powerful and moving. A bit straightforward but it seems very clear they were going for that type of experience allowing both the guitars and vocals to stand tall. The first two tracks are fantastic black metal experiences.
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| 4.5 superb | Alabaster Jones | May 8th 15 |
Diminishing their use of ambient, folky acoustic passages and female vocals and replacing them with a shoegaze influence and rawer, more furious playing, Black Cascade might just be the best record WITTR has released so far. Impassioned riffs are the bread and butter of the album ("The Wanderer Above The Sea Of Fog"), but the notion that Nathan Weaver turns in his best vocal performance so far and his brother Aaron Weaver is an unstoppable, ferocious beast on the drums throughout the record make it so much more. Sure, this is the most bare-bones release the band had made in their discography so far, but therein lies its charm: it's relentless, windy, and altogether beautiful melodic black metal, even while being so simple and stripped-down from past releases. The album also does a nice job of keeping within the environmental and earth-centric lyrics and aesthetic that the band employs so well, which helps make this a fantastic release for the American trio.
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| 0.0 | ABond | January 20th 14 |
Just an initial accident in clicking the wrong rating.
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| 2.0 poor | waveforms | December 15th 10 |
Vastly disappointed me for some reason. Really lacking when it comes to their other releases.
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| 4.0 excellent | YouAreMySilence | October 21st 09 |
After looking at many people's opinuins of Black Cascade I came into this expected a poor black metal record by a band past it's prime. I was hit with a very pleasant surprise though. Though this wasn't as incredible as Two Hunters, this is brilliant in it's own right. Not only did this prove, once again, that Wolves In The Throne Room are the most consistent black metal in America, but there were a few moments that were surprisingly breathetaking.
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| 0.0 | Motiv3 | May 4th 09 |
going back to a more traditional sounding style, WITTR continue to show why they are one of the best black metal bands of this generation. Fantastic Album.
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| 2.5 average | myhigherpie | March 28th 09 |
In the end, peoples opinions on this album will all come down to whether they are fine with or without the post-rock/folk influences of their previous albums. I for one am more than impressed with this record, which proves once again why WitTR are THE USBM band to listen to.
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| 4.0 excellent | mothergoose | March 27th 09 |
1:1 Wolves In The Throne Room sacrificed post-rock and ambient to make a true metal album... 1:2 The metal god saw that it was good, and there was a second day. While those elements aren't truly absent from this album, they are further buried and less showcased. I think what some find boring about this album is its consistency and the persistence of the stylistic direction. But when you're creating landscapes with sound, you have to stick to it. (Dropped from 4.5 because, well, I listened to Two Hunters a few times and this stopped seeming as magical.)
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| 3.5 great | natey | March 20th 09 |
the music on this album makes me fly like Kirby around the planet of Pop Star
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| 4.5 superb | heck | January 15th 24 |
| 4.0 excellent | Optimist | December 14th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | DType | March 28th 23 |
| 3.5 great | Timmy | January 11th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | FunJan | January 3rd 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | Bard0 | December 14th 22 |
| 3.5 great | arf | October 25th 22 |
| 3.5 great | Veldin | October 16th 22 |
| 2.5 average | Skiiddz | October 14th 22 |
| 4.5 superb | Brains | January 18th 22 |
| 3.5 great | JoneHK | December 6th 21 |
| 3.5 great | Gbhill | November 11th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | ftdiwr | October 26th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | Lvxfra | October 23rd 21 |
| 3.5 great | MonkMan | September 20th 21 |
| 3.0 good | Jerrad | August 22nd 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sunnyvale STAFF | August 20th 21 |
| 5.0 classic | kokoon | June 11th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | jhop | May 17th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | yayafa | January 29th 21 |
| 3.5 great | ckssr1 | January 20th 21 |
| 3.5 great | ariich | October 5th 20 |
| 3.0 good | remi | June 18th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | bSmith | June 3rd 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Hoenir | May 3rd 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | BeeRyan | February 19th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | canczar | January 23rd 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jim1 | January 7th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | yoil | January 1st 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | jfish226 | November 25th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Stubbs92 | September 27th 19 |
| 3.0 good | Elros | September 5th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | kodama | August 4th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | kleggi | April 9th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | blou52 | April 1st 19 |
| 3.5 great | lewzis | March 23rd 19 |
| 3.5 great | Eons | March 12th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | phylyps | November 11th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Basara | November 3rd 18 |
| 3.5 great | pbass0 | October 14th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | P0laris | September 25th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Epilogue | September 14th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sarah | April 13th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | Laen | March 26th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Viot | March 23rd 18 |
| 3.5 great | Phate72 | February 16th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Fear | December 27th 17 |
| 3.5 great | RAGG | December 2nd 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Faustus | November 13th 17 |
| 3.5 great | Elynna | November 4th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Tyll | October 30th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jeejee | September 28th 17 |
| 5.0 classic | Draehl | September 22nd 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | GFormat | July 23rd 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | AntalWS | July 21st 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | buttz | July 7th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | arcane | April 29th 17 |
| 3.0 good | emmny | March 13th 17 |
| 2.5 average | Wolfe | November 28th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | dbizzles | November 19th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | hsb | October 7th 16 |
| 3.5 great | YakNips | September 22nd 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | dvd0bvb | February 27th 16 |
| 2.5 average | Krvst | January 17th 16 |
| 3.0 good | 8genre | January 5th 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | dragoth | December 26th 15 |
| 3.5 great | Madana | November 29th 15 |
| 4.5 superb | btati | November 12th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | Archaic | October 26th 15 |
| 3.5 great | Nud | July 12th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | nojja | July 8th 15 |
| 4.0 excellent | Loge | January 31st 15 |
| 4.5 superb | Naeveo | December 20th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | jaksnow | November 13th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | p4p | November 11th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sebe | September 14th 14 |
| 3.0 good | adr | July 3rd 14 |
| 4.5 superb | joitp | May 31st 14 |
| 5.0 classic | Crinn | March 11th 14 |
| 4.0 excellent | Zeg | December 20th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | MikePaco | December 20th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | hasv | November 30th 13 |
| 3.0 good | unkle | November 6th 13 |
| 3.5 great | N2B3J | October 7th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | craigy2 | October 3rd 13 |
| 4.5 superb | Shayne | September 22nd 13 |
| 4.5 superb | Freddey | September 4th 13 |
| 3.5 great | joomisy | September 3rd 13 |
| 3.5 great | SMUD | July 18th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Pagan | June 20th 13 |
| 3.5 great | E0N | May 1st 13 |
| 3.5 great | Benc | April 7th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | rid | February 20th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | wrecked | February 15th 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | Inhumed | December 29th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | mcg182 | December 11th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | cb123 | December 5th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | SMK | November 28th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | pyejos03 | November 19th 12 |
| 5.0 classic | Edlund | May 30th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Yami | May 27th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jerbz | May 19th 12 |
| 2.0 poor | Rail | May 2nd 12 |
| 1.5 very poor | Lought | April 28th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | endtell | March 24th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Troggy | February 2nd 12 |
| 3.5 great | Warpt | January 9th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | Coast | December 27th 11 |
| 2.5 average | HWBTW | December 19th 11 |
| 2.5 average | Oblomov | December 13th 11 |
| 2.5 average | smeaf | December 3rd 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Kenos | October 30th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Widower | October 3rd 11 |
| 2.5 average | Uranium | September 28th 11 |
| 3.5 great | YUJOS | September 27th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Dvst | September 27th 11 |
| 3.5 great | prouty | September 14th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Aecial | September 9th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | GodL1ke | September 1st 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Weed | August 11th 11 |
| 3.0 good | true | July 26th 11 |
| 3.5 great | eeule | July 18th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Kriss | June 30th 11 |
| 2.5 average | Muzix | May 25th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | ev0ken | May 8th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | Wolves | April 24th 11 |
| 5.0 classic | amenra | January 14th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | FLRTE | January 8th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Mikanoz | December 15th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | miked89 | November 27th 10 |
| 3.5 great | Aether | November 14th 10 |
| 2.0 poor | o971 | November 6th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Mikk | November 3rd 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | feav233 | November 2nd 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | Curse. | October 26th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | kruxz | October 8th 10 |
| 2.5 average | Vesper | October 1st 10 |
| 3.5 great | cvlts | May 19th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Niels | May 16th 10 |
| 4.5 superb | Karwyn | April 10th 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | s3r3n17y | February 15th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Zoo | February 2nd 10 |
| 4.0 excellent | GibTG | January 28th 10 |
| 3.0 good | Markk1 | January 6th 10 |
| 3.5 great | rc1288 | January 5th 10 |
| 3.0 good | 204409 EMERITUS | December 29th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | oalston | December 26th 09 |
| 3.0 good | ziroth | December 22nd 09 |
| 3.5 great | owsla | December 14th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | krazaln | November 11th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | ameypv | October 24th 09 |
| 2.5 average | Wolfe | October 23rd 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Tandred | October 20th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Set | October 18th 09 |
| 2.5 average | qwe3 | September 30th 09 |
| 3.0 good | Kyle Ward EMERITUS | September 24th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Hewitt | September 12th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | snores | August 30th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Zion | August 23rd 09 |
| 3.5 great | tomr4 | August 10th 09 |
| 2.5 average | GBJ | July 28th 09 |
| 3.0 good | Bleak | July 8th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Wizard | June 14th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | f2f | June 14th 09 |
| 2.5 average | lglag | June 4th 09 |
| 2.5 average | lobby | May 30th 09 |
| 3.0 good | Zip | May 25th 09 |
| 4.5 superb | Asaura | April 23rd 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Crimson | April 6th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Bea | March 29th 09 |
| 3.5 great | Tyler EMERITUS | March 29th 09 |
| 5.0 classic | Hawks | March 26th 09 |
| 4.0 excellent | Thor | March 3rd 09 |
| 3.5 great | Skyler | March 2nd 09 |
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