Watain – The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain Review: “The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain is one of the most powerful recent releases from the band.”

I was extremely surprised by this new Watain album. I have to admit, I haven’t been impressed with their last few albums. But The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain is a very dark and evil album. There are no gimmicks here; Watain captured the atmosphere of older material while still tightening their sound. They do change things up by featuring more dynamism compared to older albums.

The album as a whole sounds stronger than many of their last albums, and I think it’s because they completed this line-up with bassist A. Lillo, guitarist H. Eriksson, and drummer E. Forcas. Watain didn’t go overly technical with production and effects. Recorded live in an old church, the album sounds as sordid as if they recorded it in the 90s.

The album starts with “Ecstasies in Night Infinite,” a track that perfectly represents Watain’s wicked sound. The entire song sounds evil, with droning guitars and blast beats.

“Leper’s Grace” reminds me of older material. While it still has Watain’s classic bleak sound, the drums are faster and the guitars are heavier. I can see this as a song the band could perform live; the energy is powerful enough to compel the audience. What I really love about this song is how there are subtle progressions. The guitars sound more melodic but the chopping drums are still brutal enough to bash you over the head.

Let’s change things up with a song such as “Funeral Winter.” It sounds like your standard aged black metal song, with archetypal riffs and crazy drumming. But the atmosphere is very chilly as if it truly were a funeral winter. It’s a bit airy compared to the other songs on the album; the guitars are more melodic, but it’s dynamic enough to still give off that Hellish vibe. But Watain didn’t go completely soft on us — the drumming is enough to pull you in and grip you for the duration of the song.

Watain released two singles for this album: “The Howling” and “We Remain.”

“The Howling” is one of the most powerful songs on the album. It’s strong enough to stand alone but also meshes in perfectly with the rest of the album. This song reminds me of something I would hear from Sworn to the Dark. It has that murky atmosphere but a very gloomy sound.

“We Remain” is by far the most emotional song Watain released and the video is sentimental. A little background: Selim Lemouchi (The Devil’s Blood) played live for Watain for a few shows. He, unfortunately, took his own life in 2014. The Devil’s Blood singer and Selim’s sister, Farida Lemouchi, does guest vocals for this song. You can see Selim in the footage here. So sad. The song itself is a masterpiece. It’s dark but has a lot of feeling. It’s definitely a stand-out song on the album.

The album finishes with “Septentrion.” I feel this is a heavier song than others on the album. At the beginning of the song, the guitars still sound dreary, giving the song its classic Watain atmosphere. Towards the end, it becomes more forceful with pounding drums and faster guitars. It’s the perfect way to close this gem of an album.

Overall, I can see Watain fans appreciating this album. The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain is one of the most powerful recent releases from the band. There are plenty of brutalities here but this album also conveys emotions that fans would never expect from Watain. The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain proves that this band hasn’t finished their legacy.

Rating: 8/10

The Agony & Ecstasy of Watain will be released on April 29. You can preorder the album here.

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