Wolves in theThrone Room(34) <strong>SLUG</strong>Madrigal of the WolfBy Conor Dowtomservo@gmail.comWith raw production, blazingguitars, shrieking vocals andbl<strong>as</strong>ting drums, black metalh<strong>as</strong> always purported anextreme display of individualism,making every effort toreject all things politicallycorrect and socially acceptable.Like everything however,human beings haveturned those sparks of individualisticexpression intohackneyed, formulaic practices,which have becomelittle more than parodiesof themselves. It takes anoverwhelming dose of praxisfor this cycle to be broken.The somewhat reclusivemembers of Wolves in theThrone Room who hailfrom Olympia, W<strong>as</strong>hingtonand are some of the few individualswho strive to breakthese patterns. Not only dothey defy most typical blackmetal forms of tradition, butalso black metal culture<strong>as</strong> a whole. “We have nointention of contributinganything to traditionalblack metal. The orthodoxthinking involved in theconstruction of traditionalblack metal is repugnantand stifling” Rick (no l<strong>as</strong>tname given) states.With their new album TwoHunters, rele<strong>as</strong>ed in lateSeptember, and their firstnational tour underway,waves are being made<strong>as</strong> their ideologies areexpressed unto many for the first time. “Our liveperformances are concerned with transcendingthe ubiquitous confines of the here and now, leavingboth band and crowd shaken free, in howeversmall degree, from the smothering edifice of ourmodern culture.” Although many audience membersmay only be attending the show for loudmusic, there are also those who will be there totruly listen, “we endeavor to rouse those in attendancefrom the psychic torpor society demandsof its constituents.”While metal can be seen <strong>as</strong> a blatant <strong>as</strong>sertion ofm<strong>as</strong>culinity, some bands attempt to balance thisout with the inclusion of female vocal elements.Rick explains, “our lives are full of powerfulwomen and naturally these experiences findtheir way into our music. We seek to honor theglorious nature of womanhood in our music <strong>as</strong>we do all the primal forces around us.” Wolves’sfirst album includes the talents of Jamie Meyers(Hammers of Misfortune), and the recentrele<strong>as</strong>e of Two Hunters showc<strong>as</strong>es the talentsof Jessica Kinney (Eyvind Kang, Asva) whooffers her femininity to two of the four tracks onthe album. “Jessica is focused professional witha powerful talent.” Rick continues, “She quicklyinternalized our lyrics and ide<strong>as</strong> about hercontribution and effortlessly surp<strong>as</strong>sed our expectationswith a performance more meaningfulthan we’d hoped for.” The band yields a strongreverence for femininity not only in their beliefs,but also when creating their music. “We haveworked to make all representations of womenin our music and art true to the feminine spirit<strong>as</strong> we have experienced it and find the prurientmanner in which women are portrayed in theculture at large and metal specifically utterlysickening,” Rick affirms.To many fans, black metal is simply a styleof music, or a means to individualize themamong the herd. However it h<strong>as</strong> developedclichéd traditions and tired theatrics that havevery little value beneath the surfaces of corpsepaint and wrist spikes. I <strong>as</strong>ked Rick abouta previous statement I had read in regardsto Two Hunters being “atribute to the genre,” in lightof their bold defiance to what blackmetal h<strong>as</strong> become. “Our tribute is moreto the radical and innovative spirit conjuredwhen the bands at the genesis of black metalcreated something new and engaging with theirmusic rather than to the sounds or appearancesthat spirit manifested <strong>as</strong>. Tribute by rote mimicryis a hollow gesture.” It could be said that theseroots and this spirit which w<strong>as</strong> evoked when themedium of black metal w<strong>as</strong> created w<strong>as</strong> notonly inspirational, but completely essential. Whatonce w<strong>as</strong> vapid for many have been made newagain with a “cleansing fire” and by seeking outthese roots, the pallid representations of whatblack metal stems from can be interpreted in anew light. “Our influences for Two Hunters weremuch the same <strong>as</strong> for Diadem of 12 Stars, <strong>as</strong>well <strong>as</strong> the new material we’re currently writing.Life, death, horror, awe. There are never anyunadulterated veins of influence in what we do<strong>as</strong> everything is a collaborative venture, thethree of us continually working and reworkingeverything until any recognizable individuationin the work is obliterated.”But is human expression, art or even blackmetal just another form of deep rootednarcissism? Rick explains, “The intrinsic andelemental human experiences reflected inblack metal resonate with us and will alwaysbe fertile and valid inspirations for art in anymedium.” Exhibiting these intense feelingsof misanthropy may call for conjugationwith an extreme medium. For many, this iswhy extreme metal continues to be such anabundant catharsis. Rick summarizes, “it willalways be important for humans to reflectupon the world and puzzle at their place in it;whether it be rapture in the presence naturesglories or the revulsion and disgust felt whenfaced with misery and death. To expressthese considerations is life itself.”Wolves in the Throne Room play at TheBroken Record on October 26th, 2007.
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