wode

Fans were still in the honeymoon phase with Wode’s 2016 eponymous debut album when the Manchester, U.K., band followed up with 2017’s Servants of the Countercosmos. Not only were these two albums hailed for their sense of balance— reminiscent of black metal’s second wave; ferocious, yet melodic; uncontrived, but well-produced—but the speed with which they were released was rare. ¶ “On paper, it looks like we did the first album, smashed it and put out another one right away, which isn’t really what happened,” says drummer/guitarist/keyboardist T. Horrocks. “Because the first album took ages to come out. By the time it happened, we had so much written we could fire the next one out.” ¶ In contrast, Horrocks says, it seems like it took ages for Wode to release their latest record, Burn in Many Mirrors, but the band was busy touring as well as working on other projects. The pandemic didn’t help: The album’s targeted release collided with the week that COVID-19’s full impact became apparent in the U.K. That said, the extra time wasn’t all bad news.

“We could listen to it just ourselves over a few months,” explains guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist M. Czerwoniuk.

“We could focus on synth parts a bit more,” Horrocks adds. “We had a bit more time to focus and work something good up.”

It was worth the wait. Joined by D. Shaw on guitar and backing vocals and E. Troup on bass, Horrocks and Czerwoniuk have delivered six tracks blazing with urgency, haunting fury, tight production and— weaving through a wicked crush of sound—melodies that dare you to call “catchy” a dirty word.

Burn in Many Mirrors is a natural evolution for Wode, formed by Horrocks and Czerwoniuk a decade ago. The band pulls in enough different elements to both keep fans on their toes and demonstrate the complexity that black metal can possess, without straying from a path of sonic hellfire. Fans of classic black metal will never be disappointed by Wode, but they will be surprised and excited.

Horrocks and Czerwoniuk reference Oi! punk as a touchstone for the album, as well as “early European black metal before it became codified into a sound, where lots of bands had different influences,” Czerwoniuk says. “A lot of heavy metal creeps in naturally, which we like.”

Old-school heavy metal laces tracks like “Lunar Madness” and “Serpent’s Coil” in the form of powerful riffs. “Fire in the Hills” demonstrates Wode’s ability to mirror themes sonically, with riffs erupting like a growing wildfire. “Sulphuric Glow” may be a black metal traditionalist’s favorite, while “Streams of Rapture (I, II, III)” indulges in slightly more experimental synth. Ultimately, Burn in Many Mirrors possesses a sense of danger with nightmarish appeal.