Labels: self released
Review by: Kunal Nandi
Billed as black metal, replete with an olde worlde name and epic scenes of mountains and sigils on the cover, Wode employ frenetic riffing, harsh vocals and a consistent drum barrage like you might expect. What really sets them apart is that they shun the clichéd trappings of the genre and create actual music that shines through with clarity and melody. These are tunes you can hum. They also relent once in a while to chuck in some class, rollicking punk bits that are more than welcome to my non-purist ears. Mates with the similarly excellent Pine Barrens (they should do a split), there’s definitely something in the water up around Manchester. A stunning demo, we need more!
Wode