Since their inception in 2002, over the course of five studio albums and hundreds of live performances, Wolves In The Throne Room have refracted black metal through their own Cascadian prism. Their songs explore the hidden world of magic that one accesses through dreams, visions and music and the resulting sounds are intimately linked to the wild lands of the Pacific Northwest.

Now, a portal into the dreamworld of Wolves In The Throne Room opens again with their forthcoming sixth LP, Thrice Woven - a glorious return to the blazing and furious black metal that they alone can create. Today, the band has unveiled a magical new music video for a segment of the album’s first single, “Born From The Serpent's Eye”.

Wolves In The Throne Room commented: "This is our first video. We lit a bonfire and blasted through the first part of “Born From The Serpent’s Eye”. You’ll have to listen to the full track to hear Anna Von Hausswollf’s glory. This is the first time we’d played the song with Kody and it f*cking slayed. Peter and Nico captured the magic. May the good fires blaze!"

On September 22nd the band will release Thrice Woven on their own label, Artemisia Records. The album begins with "Born From The Serpent’s Eye" a true thrashing black metal epic that is bisected with a haunting northern lament sung by Swedish star Anna von Hausswolff.

"The Old Ones Are With Us" opens with the crackling of a fire and the voice of Steve Von Till (Neurosis) invoking the springtime thaw. It then storms into a dirge inspired by 90’s Finnish doom with lyrics that celebrate Imbolc, the holy day which marks the end of winter and the first stirrings of spring. Figures from Norse mythology intertwine with personal heartbreak and rebirth in the bleak "Angrboda". The song is named after a frost giantess who birthed Fenrir Wolf, a beast who was destined to destroy the world and murder the gods.

Fenrir Wolf also appears on the cover of Thrice Woven in a painting by Russian occult artist Denis Forkas. Forkas’ obscure medieval painting techniques perfectly compliment the music of Wolves In The Throne Room, you can explore the glimmering painting at the bottom of this post.

A raven’s wings stir the air in the interlude "Mother Owl, Father Ocean". Anna von Hausswolff returns in a duet with Turkish harpist Zeynep Oyku, forlorn industrial atmospheres haunt the mix, Hausswolff’s lyrics, sung in Swedish, echo over a barren grey seascape. "Fires Roar In The Palace Of The Moon" is the classic Cascadian black metal epic, the third eye opens to see holy rivers being born from the ice on the tallest peaks, the lyrics offer blessings to the waters of the earth as they flow from the high places to the source of darkness, the ocean.

When the band returned to the road in summer 2016 long-time touring guitar player Kody Keyworth was welcomed as a full member of Wolves In The Throne Room. On Thrice Woven, Kody contributes raven’s screams and some of the most brutal and dark riffs. The live lineup also features Peregrine Somerville (Sadhaka) playing third guitar and Brittany McConnell (Wolvserpent) on keyboards and percussion. The effect of three guitars on stage is mesmerizing and reflects the dark psychedelia of the band’s albums.

Look for Thrice Woven to be available on September 22nd and stay tuned for more news from Wolves In The Throne Room to surface soon.

Thrice Woven tracklisting:

“Born From The Serpent's Eye”
“The Old Ones Are With Us”
“Angrboda”
“Mother Owl, Father Ocean”
“Fires Roar In The Palace Of The Moon”

Teaser:

(Band photo - Peter Beste)