Emerging straight from the Drudkh school of atmospheric black metal come Olympian four-piece Wolves In The Throne Room with their third studio album 'Black Cascade' – an immense, sprawling, sumptuous record that will go little short of establishing them as one of America's leading exports. Featuring four tracks that all go well over the ten minute mark (two almost breaching 15), 'Black Cascade' has the scale and splendour of a fantasy epic while still retaining a heart so gritty and dark it could have been ripped from the chest of Satan himself.

    All four tunes are minor masterclasses in vitriolic beauty; each standing alone as a glorious, progressive take on the genre while all fitting together as a whole to bring the album in check. Final track 'Crystal Ammunition' arguably reaches the headiest heights as it rolls towards its gutteral climax, but in truth the whole record is a real highlight in a year which has already kicked 2008 into touch for heavy metal releases. Rarely has a musical orgasm ever felt so damn naughty.

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