Band:	Wolves In The Throne Room
Album:	Celestial Lineage
Style:	Atmospheric black metal
Release date:	September 13, 2011
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. Thuja Magus Imperium
02. Permanent Changes In Consciousness
03. Subterranean Initiation
04. Rainbow Illness
05. Woodland Cathedral
06. Astral Blood
07. Prayer Of Transformation

Rainy evenings have a vibe of their own: rainy evenings with entrancing atmosphere are astonishing. The wolves have returned to the throne room and the fourth chapter has been carved in stone. The highly anticipated Celestial Lineage has arrived and along with it the specialists of "Vastness And Sorrow" simply because that's what they always preserved; vastness and depth in terms of sound and an omnipresent escalating bitterness and sonorous rapture.

Black Cascade led the band astray from their roots; more precise production, less misty but surrounding still and far less ambient elements that were being camouflaged in the overall sound motive. It was more instrument-driven black metal based on a continuous song structure of powerful moments breaking into mid-tempo atmospheric passages. Nevertheless, it was still a Wolves In The Throne Room release and a good one to be honest. Celestial Lineage, though, is exactly what the title says, a homage to their first releases, their divine descent. This means that the masters of massive atmosphere, raw beauty and majestic dynamics have returned and along with them all the required elements.

At first glance the band gives you the impression as if they have broken the unwritten 4-song vow. Yes, Celestial Linage consists of seven compositions. Yet, after you have listened to the album for the first time you know that everything is just fine. We've got three songs that surpass the necessary ten minutes and here's the magic: the four remaining songs that are in a row could have been a solitary song, and they are. "Permanent Changes In Consciousness" is the intro, "Subterranean Initiation" the main theme, "Rainbow Illness" a small break and "Woodland Cathedral" the atmospheric ending.

What was lost now has been found anew. The female vocals return, so does the nature-centered cover artwork depicting a forest glade adorned by light. The connection's there, you just have to see beyond the darkness and through the light, it feels like an illuminated version of Two Hunters' artwork. "Thuja Magus Imperium" opens the curtain with a Dead Can Dance mysticism to break into a majestic pandemonium of bombastic percussion, menacing guitars and harsh vocals from the core of the forest and everything takes its toll through the whole duration of the album. The distinctive keyboard slices and effects are present once again and the production's slightly blurry for one more time, keeping the surrounding ever-expanding wall of sound the band always possessed. The tremolo riffs aren't missing and the marching towards eternity heart-rending guitar melodies are here as well, alongside a few spot-on acoustic passages.

On one hand Aaron Weaver once more sounds unerring, filling the space with creative drumming in any tempo required; from the echoing percussion and gentle drumming during the slow passages that take their time to unfold to the sonic assault of atmosphere that asks for upbeat marching tempo or a more imposing approach. On the other hand Nathan, his brother, "jabs" with prowess the sound apparel of Celestial Lineage through his guitar work that either enthralls the ambiance and climaxes the intensity or decompresses the gently surrounding production with chords and the beauty of nature. As for his interpretation, the vocal cords hold still all the howling warmth that comes to the surface whenever he summons the blowing of the wind that surpasses the treetops.

The wolves are indeed in the throne room and the ruler's quivering in fear. Celestial Lineage shapes the contours of coarse beauty and delicate fierceness honoring the grandeur of nature from utter repose and a dreamlike state and to a more hostile essence.