W.A.I.L. - Wisdom Through Agony Into Illumination And Lunacy review
| Band: | W.A.I.L. |
| Album: | Wisdom Through Agony Into Illumination And Lunacy |
| Style: | Black metal, Death doom metal |
| Release date: | October 20, 2009 |
| A review by: | Troy Killjoy |
01. Initiation
02. Wisdom
03. Agony
04. Illumination
05. Lunacy
Death doom metal
Finland
Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions
Line-up on the CD:
P.R. - vocals
A.E. - guitars, vocals
T.J. - bass, guitar (additional solos)
S.F. - drums, keyboard, bongos, djembe, tambourine, triangle, maraca
Katarina Moisio - violin (session)
It's amazing how some of the most deserving of albums go completely unnoticed by the general public due to simple quantitative limitations. Wisdom Through Agony Into Illumination And Lunacy, an immaculate extreme metal debut, was initially released by the band back in 2009 as a limited edition vinyl LP, and those who were lucky enough to hear it weren't exactly the caring, sharing variety. Thankfully, Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions took it upon themselves to give this gem a proper re-release - this time as a CD - and for good measure, some publicity!
Simply put, W.A.I.L. are the tits. Okay, that isn't the most professional way of putting it, but this album is simply too good to be a debut. At times it reeks of the recondite nature of occult black metal masters Deathspell Omega, though its primary vacation hot-spot is at the five-star Process Of Guilt all-inclusive resort. With a seemingly vulgar atmosphere accentuated by extremely drawn out riffs and a hazy production, W.A.I.L. turn the extremity factor up to 11 and dish out some truly evil melodies. The intro, aptly entitled "Initiation", sets the mood for the rest of the release, with some clean, hypnotic humming backed by a soft-sounding guitar.
The album's defining asset would be its progression. W.A.I.L. are apparently never content with any one continual direction of any of the five tracks - all of which run an approximate 10 minutes short, aside from the eerie intro - and their efforts to keep things sporadic are far from subtle. Songs aren't easily broken up into "parts" as in most cases; rather, songs seem to bounce back and forth between ideas, all the while incorporating a variety of emotions - the mix of anger and regret perhaps the most prominent. Amazingly, these ideas aren't dismissed as another enters the foray, as each section presents itself more as a motif. This all adds up to a complicated experience, though its cohesive manner ensures the listener won't feel entirely confused.
What can be said for the song structures applies directly to the musicians as well. The guitars, while largely concentrated on setting the aforementioned evil atmosphere, also contain several groovy hooks haphazardly throughout the album that induce a more headbanging sensation, all of which is augmented by excellent solos that are seemingly systematically proportionate to the track lengths. The drumming is superb, setting the pace and changing things up just when you think the song will grow stale, and PR's vocals - the depth and range alone - are a perfect fit for such a diverse representation of what death doom is truly capable of.
This is unofficial, but rumor has it Wisdom Through Agony Into Illumination And Lunacy has been nominated by residents of Hell for Satan's personal Sounds Of The Rainforest. If I find myself six supernatural feet under in the coming days, I'll be sure to give it my vote.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 9 |
| Production: | 10 |
 | Written on 02.03.2011 by I'm total pro; that's what I'm here for. |
Comments
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Comments: 33
Visited by: 328 users
| BloodTears ANA-thema Elite Posts: 11835  |
This actually sounds interesting. Maybe it's time I come back to some death/doom. The review made me curious. Now let's see what I think.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306  |
Written by BloodTears on 02.03.2011 at 18:18 Getting back into death doom? This album is a great place to start. Also check out Process of Guilt (mentioned in the review) if this floats your boat. PS - Marcel will have undoubtedly noticed by now me recommending doom bands, so be prepared for a list of bands that you have to check out. 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| 3rdWorldFuckface Account deleted |
3rdWorldFuckface
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That's a pretty high rating..............and i'm seeing one after a long time..............definitely going to check this one out!!!! 
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by [user id=103388] on 02.03.2011 at 19:03 My highest rating since I Shalt Become's "Poison". I wrote that review on August 1st, 2010.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Tenski Posts: 90  |
Good review, so far it sounds good, reminds me a bit (vocals) of Mayhem with Attila in the mix a'la Ordo Ad Chao. Nice 
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| wormdrink414 Elite Posts: 1295  |
Had to look up "recondite". Props for encouraging dictionary use!!!!!
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| InnerSelf proofread free Posts: 2701  |
Deathspell Omega and Process of Guilt ... sounds very yummy thx for the great review
---- He who is not bold enough to be stared at from across the abyss is not bold enough to stare into it himself.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Tenski on 03.03.2011 at 09:35 Thanks! Ordo Ad Chao is awesome, and Attila is a great vocalist. I can hear a bit of similarity, but I'd say Attila's vocals are more...monster-ish? That could have been a result of the production though. Written by wormdrink414 on 03.03.2011 at 11:49  I was going to use "esoteric", but whenever you use a word that's synonymous with a big-name band in a review, people don't realize you actually aren't drawing a comparison to said band.Maybe it would have led to more people checking it out though... Written by InnerSelf on 03.03.2011 at 12:52 Thanks for the comment. I'd say it's more than yummy - it's delicious.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Enemy of Reality Account deleted |
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by [user id=4365] on 04.03.2011 at 05:01 Had a chance to give the rest a listen? I'm curious about your thoughts on "Lunacy" (mostly because it's my favorite song on the album). 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted Written by Troy Killjoy on 05.03.2011 at 04:17 I've given it a couple of run throughs and the record really does have it all going on, there's a heck of a lot to it. A couple of listens isn't nearly enough to sort out what song does what just yet but I think it was Lunacy and Illumination that particularly did it for me.
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| Lovecraft Account deleted |
Lovecraft
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I am hearing a track on youtube and it sounds really good. I should check this out. Halfway through it, and it sounds great! Thanks!
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by [user id=108163] on 06.03.2011 at 13:36 Glad you like it! 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| IronAngel Posts: 4888  |
Hmm, I've listened to it a few times now. I'm not sure I can get 100% behind all this hype. It's quality stuff but it didn't immediately stand out as something extraordinary. The production could be better (heavier and bassier, especially), and there aren't too many memorable melodies and hooks. I'm definetely getting a good vibe and they'll surely grow on me, though. Great recommendation, great (descrptive, informative) review.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by IronAngel on 06.03.2011 at 23:47 Just felt the need to clear one part up, the way I understand it: I'm pretty much the only one hyping this (to my knowledge); it's not getting the Nevermore treatment where it's advertised as the album of the year before it's even released. Obviously you have the right to your own opinion though, and I appreciate the thought behind your critique. Thanks for the compliment too.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| IronAngel Posts: 4888 |
Hehe, OK: I guess the hype consists of you and !J.O.O.E.! and both of you tend to have great taste from what I've seen, so I was pretty excited too.  But yeah, this'll probably be among my top doom records 2011 at the end of the year.
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| Meller Sleazy Rider Posts: 30  |
Written by IronAngel on 06.03.2011 at 23:47 Each to his own: to me, the lack of overtly brumming bass and supercrushing, exaggeratingly distorted guitar sounds were exactly the reason why this album grew up on me immediately. A bit lighter approach lets the songs breathe and stand on their own, makin the experience one notch more haunting. Still, this does not actually reduce the abrasiveness of material, more like emphasizing the bleakness. On emotions level, this makes me feel like it's heart of winter again... While I awaited more BM style approach from it, based on few shortish audio samples Ahdistuksen Aihio provided, the gloomy Doom contained was more than pleasant surprise. This album is undoubtedly very good. I'll probably be returning to this piece of art often in the near future.
---- "Haloo? ...Mulla on sellainen tunne, ett' mä olen surmannut miehen."
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 07.03.2011 at 01:44 Well it's been getting qwuite some raving reviews on the net. here's one http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showreview.php?id=18512&lang=en
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| MétalNoir Fils du Lys Posts: 847  |
Isn't weird the album's rating (based on 1 vote) is presently 6 while the reviewer rates it 9+ ?
---- Notre destinée n'est pas encore tracée....
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by MétalNoir on 08.03.2011 at 19:37 A lot of people who've listened to it haven't rated it in the discography section (myself included), and if I'm not mistaken, the one who gave it a 6 is a fan of a lot of melodic metal, meaning this album probably didn't suit his taste.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 08.03.2011 at 18:10 Happy to see I'm not the only reviewer who thinks this is awesome.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| IronAngel Posts: 4888 |
Got 8+ on the foremost Finnish metal webzine/online media too, but there's been a dead silence about the band on the boards. Your review was before theirs, though!
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by IronAngel on 09.03.2011 at 01:26 MY REVIEW WAS BEFORE EVERYBODY'S, MWAHAHAHA No, in actuality I think a few were published when the vinyl was released, but not many had written one for the CD version by the time mine was up. I'm a trendsetter baby. A shepherd to the sheep.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 09.03.2011 at 01:27 the review I linked a couple of posts up was on-line a day before yours, you follower, you sheep.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Mikyz Posts: 711  |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 10.03.2011 at 16:51 I'm a witness, I read it before Troy's was up and can testify in court. But really Troy you better get a good lawyer, or you might as well pop your rectal cherry yourself. I actually read 2 reviews on this album before you posted yours up, and one of them was also posted before Lords of Metal. So technically both Troy and LOM are followers/sheep. Seriously though this album makes me think of a slower version of Hooded Menace, I might talking out of my ass, but I think it applies.
---- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Damn I thought I was being original! 
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 11.03.2011 at 01:52 sorry to burst the bubble but didn't want to hurt you btw simple rule for Lords Of Metal.... it ALWAYS goes online on the 1st of t the month
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Troy Killjoy perfunctionist Staff Posts: 21306 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 11.03.2011 at 02:04 Well by this server's standards I was a day late, but by my EST standards I was right on time.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Troy Killjoy on 11.03.2011 at 02:14 even then you were late
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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