[ALBUM REVIEW]: The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain

In 1965, a film was released based on a biographical novel about Michelangelo’s life called The Agony and the Ecstasy. Starring Charlton Heston as the man himself, and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II, the film chronicles the trials and tribulations Michelangelo went through in order to complete his magnum opus: the Sistine Chapel ceiling. I wasn’t able to read the book before this review, but the film still holds up, worth a watch to this day and begging for a competent remake starring Willem Dafoe and Charles Dance.

Now, follow me to 2022 through the use of the Clumsy Segue Machine: legendary Swedish Black Metal outfit Watain release their seventh full-length album, The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain, the title clearly alluding to the previously-mentioned work. If an album’s title can be interpreted as a statement of artistic intent, then the confidence Watain have in this one is completely undeniable. The band themselves are setting this album up to be compared to the already ridiculously high watermark set by the trinity of Casus Luciferi, Sworn to the Dark and Lawless Darkness. I’m here to tell you that said confidence wasn’t even remotely unwarranted.

To put it simply, The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain is the band’s best album since 2010’s Lawless Darkness. Speaking more precisely, while The Wild Hunt and Trident Wolf Eclipse are solid albums on their own merits, The Agony & Ecstasy is undeniably a more complete, sonic representation of the band’s career as a whole. The relentless speed and ferocity present in their earlier releases is fully accounted for, accented beautifully by the type of more deliberately paced, seemingly post-punk inspired tracks that dotted The Wild Hunt.

You might have noticed that I haven’t singled any track out in particular as standout, this isn’t because the album is lacking in some way, it’s just simply that the album has no valleys. The songwriting is consistent from start to finish, every song has a purpose and I think to single one out in particular detracts from a body of work that’s meant to be taken as a whole. It sounds cliché, but the album truly is a journey. However, if you were to put a gun to my head and force me to pick two tracks that represent the dynamism of the album the most, for my money those would go to the absolutely unrelenting, vicious “Leper’s Grace” and the somber, atmospheric “We Remain.” The latter of which features the perpetually haunting vocals of Farida Lemouchi, frontwoman of legendary, Dutch occult rock outfit The Devil’s Blood.

Speaking of valleys, there is one thing that’s a step down on this album compared to Trident Wolf Eclipse: the lack of any valleys in the waveforms. Every song is mixed/mastered very loud, to the point where parts that are obviously supposed to be more impactful than others just kind of blend in with the rest of the track. Listen to the “explosion” that properly kicks off “Ecstasies in Night Infinite” and tell me that wouldn’t have hit harder with a more dynamic, less normalized sound. In the grand scheme of things, however, this is a minor quibble, and one that I’m not entirely sure was unintentional. There’s something to be said about the production equivalent of typing in caps-lock, especially when the material you’re working with has the sense of urgency that The Agony & Ecstasy does.

To sum it all up: Even if this isn’t your favorite Watain record, it’s hard to argue that the band were resting on their laurels with this one. Watain are firing on all cylinders at this point, and The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain is a grotesque, glorious monument that stands alongside not just their best albums, but the best albums in Black Metal period.

The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain is out today on Nuclear Blast records.

If you enjoyed this review, check out Daniel’s rundown of Metatron Omega’s ISIH.