Review: 1349 — The Wolf & The King

Introduction

It’s the year 1349 and Norway is being decimated by the Black Death, two thirds of the population doesn’t make it, and the year 1349 is also the year the golden age of Norway ended. But there is hope, little did they know that Norway would have a new golden age 640 years later.

And that golden age would be just as black as the plague, with a lower death count, but higher counts of churches burned.

And in that Golden age of Black Metal, the band 1349 arose, known for their fierce drums and piercing vocals. Now they return after 5 years with an album that promises to take the listener on a dark, intense journey. For myself, their third album, Hellfire, and their sixth album, Massive Cauldron of Chaos are their best work to date, but in general, I like all their albums. But it’s been 5 years since their last output, The Infernal Pathway, was released, and a lot can happen in 5 years’ time. So let’s see what kind of black magic they conjured up this time.

The Wolf & The King

As said, it’s been 5 years since their latest album, but their line-up has remained the same, so that’s a good thing. The album itself has 8 new tracks with a run time of 38 minutes. And you know what that means if it’s 8 tracks in 38 minutes, it’s pretty fast-paced (don’t tell that to the folks who love hardcore though). There is no need to extend an album to an hour if you can tell your story in 40 minutes or so, but that’s just my opinion.

As with all of their previous albums, the moment the album starts, you can hear that it’s quality stuff. The vocals are good and sharp. The pummelling drums by Frost are also clear in the mix, and it makes for a complete package. And that isn’t any different with this release. The only thing I notice is that the sound seems to be a bit muffled, could be the mixing or something else, I’m not sure about that. But I do notice it on almost all the tracks.

But overall, 1349 delivered a great package, Frost’s drumming espcially are stellar, they just keep relentlessly marching on. For me, those are the highlights of this album. The songs are well written, and the vocals are on point, but overall, it does sound a bit tame.

The Inferior Pathways track do start off very fierce from the get-go, and I would like to see that vibe more throughout the album. Another track I like is Obscura, but that probably also has to do with the fact that it’s more fast-paced. It also features some more enjoyable riffs for me.

Overall, it’s an entertaining album, it features some fantastic fast past tracks, and it’s the same quality they have delivered the last 20 years. But for me personally, it could be a bit more aggressive.

Conclusion

As said, it’s an enjoyable album, and I think a lot of the readers will like this. However, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Hellfire for me. It’s a good album, with some great songs on it, and the fact that they have been doing this for 20 years now and still deliver surely is commendable.

So grab yourself a version and give it a spin when it’s released, you can support the band here: https://1349som.bandcamp.com/album/the-wolf-the-king

BMZ Rating:
7,5 – Good: A solid and enjoyable album overall. It boasts strong songwriting and performance quality, delivering a cohesive and satisfying listen.

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