Wode – Burn In Many Mirrors
Release Date: 2nd April 2021
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Extreme Metal.
FFO: Enslaved, Rotting Christ, Nightbringer.
Review By: Ross Bowie
Manchester-based black metal band Wode areback with their first new album in 4 years. It’s fair to say that since we last saw Wode, extreme metal has been on the rise; with fresh blood bands like Deafheaven catching the attention of younger fans while elder statesmen Behemoth continue toreach dizzying new heights with every passing release. As the landscape of extreme metal has shifted tremendously since 2017, the failure of Wode’s latest outing, Burn In Many Mirrors, to push forward with their soundshow that they have done little to move with it.
While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Burn In Many Mirrors has its shining moments. The opening track Lunar Madness kicks off with a fun, fast-paced black metal riff with dramatic impact noises kicking off around it. At first, Wode gave me cause for concern by having over-produced vocals, but (thankfully…) this effect only sticks around for this one track.
Most significantly, this record hits its peak through its blend of black metal with new-wave British heavy metal. These two sub-genres combine effortlessly and offers some much-needed variation throughout the six tracks. This blend is done best on the second track, Serpent’s Coil. The urgency on this song is what really sets it apart from the rest of the album. Their classic black metal sound is disrupted by a bursting riff reminiscent of Amon Amarth before tearing into an outro that is downright evil. This is a welcomed additional layer to Wode’s sound that is sadly underdeveloped throughout album.
However, the real test was yet to come. When reading the track list, I noticed there were two tracks over the seven-minute mark. A staple in any modern black metal band’s back catalogue, this was Wode’s chance to push their sound forward and show us what they learned from their extended time away. Devastatingly, these two tracks offer very little variation and if anything, are just needlessly drawn-out versions of the other songs on the album.
If you’re going to write a sprawling elongated epic, then you need to take the song into new territories and give the listener something worth sticking around for. The fact that many of Wode’s peers excel in long-form tracks (reaping the accolades that comes with it) emphasises that distinctive lack of invention and innovation within this record that puts them behind their black metal contemporaries.
If you’re already a fan of Wode and have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of new material – you won’t be disappointed. All the tricks from previous work are here and done to a reasonably high standard. However, Burn In Many Mirrors does little to welcome in new fans and doesn’t move with the fresh and exciting scene extreme metal has become. ‘Comfortable’ is a word that is rarely associated with black metal, and yet for Wode, this album is exactly that.
(2 / 5)
