Article By: Jeremy Keller ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Wode is a black metal band from Manchester, North West England, and has been slinging heaps of black metal since 2010. Their 2017 album ‘Servants of the Countercosmos’ was released May 23rd, by Avantgarde Music.
I first heard about these guys from a YouTube channel, which shall remain nameless :::cough-selfless-promo-BangerTv-cough:::. Here I am thinking, “Great, another black metal band that will try to sound like everyone else.”
Well, boys and girls, I got my shit completely all wrong. This album seriously impressed me, for many reasons, and I only found one thing to bitch about. If you ask me, that in itself is a huge accomplishment (ask the ex-wife).
From the beginning track “Crypt of Creation”, to even the last track “Undoing”, this album has you wanting more. The entire album is just over 30 minutes, but Satan’s balls! These guys give you riffs! To me, that is the best part of ‘Servants of the Countercosmos’ – all these delicious riffs that Wode serves up to you.
Recorded and mixed at Nø Studio, with mastering at Audiosiege, and artwork from Mitchell Nolte, the album is extremely cohesive and honestly feels like one continuously long track. Another great thing about ‘Servants of the Countercosmos’ is the melodies, with rich harmonics heard throughout. Wode does seem to love their layering upon layering of riffs – which is important to keep me from being bored. No boredom here!
My personal favorite is the second track, “Celestial Dagger“. It somewhat reminds me of Satyricon’s “Fuel for Hatred“, with its punchiness. It has that black ‘n roll type of vibe about it.
When I hit the fifth track, “Chaos Spell“, it threw me off a bit with multiple changes in a short time frame and certainly lived up to the first word of its title. Around the three-minute mark is where the Spell half was conjured and it became more cohesive to my ears before the bleakness fades to acoustic.
The last track ‘Undoing’ is a soft, acoustic guitar with a desolate landscape behind it. To me, this is the perfect closer for an album like this. You get all geared up, the ass has been kicked, now it is time to chill in your cave by a smoldering fire.
For Fans of Satyricon, Dissection, and Emperor. This is by far one of my favorite albums of 2017 and I recommend buying it. We have it streaming via Avantgarde Music’s Bandcamp below, and you can buy it on CD (there’s only 3 left), or digital download.
WODE:
E.T. – bass
T.H. – drums and vocals
M.C. – guitars and vocals
Shaw – guitars
