Wiegedood - There's Always Blood at the End of the Road (2022)Release ID: 33352
The criminally underrated Wiegedood are straight out of the blocks in 2022 with their fourth full-length. With the band name literally meaning “death in cradle” it is a safe bet that there are zero strains of happiness on any Wiegedood release. Having completed their trilogy of albums the band have now ramped up the darkness on album number four and this is most certainly the ugliest black metal release I have heard this year.
However, there is a lot more to this album than just blasting black metal that is delivered with an almost inhuman fury. The band have upped their game in the experimental stakes without sacrificing any of their traditional sound. Unafraid to drop in synths and distressing sound samples to create real atmosphere and menace, Wiegedood deliver an experience that transcends just being auditory in nature. I have a real sense of connection with what is going on during TABATEOTR not just because I like the blazing intensity of the tempo but because the band know how to dial things down when needed by giving my brain something else to focus on. The harrowing spoken word sample in And in Old Salamano’s Room, The Dog Whimpered Softly is one such example of this, but even just by applying the subtlest amounts of melody to proceedings, Wiegedood snap my attention into nothing but this record when it is playing.
The hint of jazz on Now Will Always Be is unexpected but brilliantly placed at the opening of the middle track on the album. The track overall retains this jazz like structure (there is no trumpet guys – fear not) as it undulates the riffing against that harsh and abrasive backdrop of blistering pace, with the looming vocals imposing their own sense of dread on proceedings superbly. This shamanic masterpiece is the high point of the album, weighing in at over eight minutes (and I could honestly listen to it all day). The sublime misery of the instrumental track that follows this, Wade, with its horrific string picking that sound like they are playing the hair of the dead just completes this whole middle section of the album. As the crushing chaos of Nuages lands (reminiscent of Altarage it should be noted) I am sold on the record already, I am online buying the vinyl.
My mental health gets quite complex as I get older and as such a lot of music does not register like it used to. I am in a “plunge” right now with no idea why or how long for so the density, brevity, and calculated chaos of Wiegedood’s latest release simply just speaks to me right now. Emotionally tumultuous and focusing on the inner self, TABATEOTR is a triumph for a band who continue to grow with each release.
The half mark off is simply because closing track Carousel seems to be based on the same structure as Now Will Always Be and it is just not as successful by way of comparison and is probably a track too far. My closing statement here is that I listened to this record today (about the fourth or fifth run through) at 11am as I came home from errands and I have no need to listen to anything else for the rest of the day. This is an utterly satiating and substantial release that has proven essential to my listening needs.
