Labels: self released
Review by: Captain Fidanza
Sunwolf remain one of the best bands I have been introduced to by Collective and their ‘Beyond the Sun’ EP, retains its place in the pile on the desk in front of me, having successfully negotiated the numerous culls of my possessions that have taken place since.
Plunging feet first into the abyss of the first of two discs, I am immediately struck by the self-assured nature of how everything sounds, not that earlier offerings from this band sounded anything other than completely confident with themselves, only that this sounds like a band comfortable in everything it’s doing. Eight tracks later, having been sprinkled with early morning dew by lighter, atmospheric tracks and dragged through the topsoil by heavier punishing growl-athons, I am convinced there are few worlds Sunwolf cannot inhabit.
This is music made by pioneers for people seeking to be enveloped by everything a new world of possibility can offer. If you’re interested in joining, then you’re welcome along, but you should be aware that the road is narrow and it’s difficult to climb, with the heat, the rocks and the fallen rocks combined; it’s going to be hard to stay aligned but each new moment, each new step, brings us closer to the realization of something incredible. If you didn’t plan ahead and your water is running out, you will be left to rot at the side of the road, we’re not carrying you; our interest lies only in the destination and the preservation of the sacred word of the prophet Howard Beale which will forever be sung from the top of the Holy Mountain.
If disc one told the story of the journey to the sacred place, then disc two tells of the crippling disappointment felt by those pioneers when they finally reached their destination, only to discover they had been lied to and all that was there to greet them was a howling wind and the maggot-infested carcass of an animal sacrificed by the last people to make the pilgrimage. Pioneers will come again, seduced by the mellifluent promises of stronger men, they will risk everything to ascend the mountain and feel the power of the prophet; some will survive the journey, many will not, but all will feel the same emptiness when the realization they have been deceived finally dawns upon them.
An album of sweeping, majestic music made by a band at the top of their game, forging varied sounds with a depth and intensity strong enough to seduce the most cynical of non-believers – join them, on their journey to the top of the mountain and everything you;ve ever desired will be yours.