WULDORGAST – Cold Light

vote
6.0

• Bands:
  WULDORGAST
• Duration: 00:32:01
• Available from: 11/12/2024
• Label:

• Iron Bonehead Prod.

The debut album by the American Wuldorgast will be released in December both on CD and in 12″ format, made on both black vinyl and black/white vinyl. Not much is known about this band, which seems to have formed during 2024 without any demo or other production behind it, but which already has the support of a label to release this first album lasting about half an hour.
We know that Wuldorgast are Americans from an unspecified area and are made up of FS (i.e. Feral Spirit) on vocals and the all-rounder Sceadugenga, who has the task of taking care of all the other instruments. Both musicians, however, are already active in other extreme metal bands overseas (Luring, Geheimnisvoll and others).
Beyond the few biographical information and despite how the label presents this new band that has just been signed, let's let the music of “Cold Light” do the talking. The genre played by the American band is a rather scholastic black metal that refers to the genre in its generic and traditional essence, without however giving a personal, not to mention original, imprint to the music of this debut. It is above all the first part and does not leave who knows what memorable moments, as the midtempo carpets already heard and resented are superimposed by monochord riffs that are neither too aggressive nor pleasantly melodic which do not give a decisive contribution to the exaltation of the songs. However, the production is sufficiently scratchy and Wuldorgast must be given credit for knowing how to create a rather violent wall of sound, where the effected screaming with a catacomb touch only increases its caliber.
The second part of the release is better, in which Wuldorgast tries to put something of their own into it without performing the usual black metal score by heart. “Labyrinth Of Control” is a nice punch in the stomach, an example of well-calibrated and impactful black metal, although not innovative at all, but here at least the band shows that they have put a good amount of character into it. The personality of the band finally comes out in the following “Cipher To Eternity”, which begins with what can be considered the most interesting riff of the album and of unidentified origin, but in any case not black metal. This riff is followed, however, by a typically black metal one followed by a heavy and perfectly paced death metal base. The subsequent riffing is a bit surprising, which could even be ascribed to the New York hardcore tradition, but on which a guitar almost immediately adds a biting black metal motif which literally transforms the previous perception. Here the group finally dared and demonstrated that they possess some decent qualities. The album ends with a song that once again owes a lot to tradition and here Darkthrone comes back into play, this time from the “Ravishing Grimness” period, and with one song in particular, that jewel called “The Claws Of Time” . To conclude, we are talking about a debut that is not too convincing and for long stretches banal, but the right amount of violence is there and some glimmers of hope for the future, albeit feeble, too. Postponed until the next release.