Though they started as a rather typical Black Metal group with their first album, they cleaned up their production and varied their music more for their second, and began to establish an identity. Next they released their third, Sworn to the Dark, where they embraced an even cleaner production (while still keeping the raw guitar sound) and moved towards more mid-tempo songs. Then came the fourth album, Lawless darkness. Here they began to branch out, incorporating Thrash Metal into their sound (though they were still almost entirely black metal), and pissing off a lot of Black Metal Purists, but gaining mainstream recognition in return.
Now, we come to The Wild Hint. After the experimentation on the last album, many were left unsure of what to expect this time around, and this album continues that adventurous spirit. It opens with a roughly 3 1/2 minute instrumental intro, Night Vision, which is, surprisingly decent. Then De Profundis bursts through, a piece of incredibly aggressive and chaotic Black Metal (with the cleaner production, it almost sounds a bit Thrashy), with somewhat distorted echoes of his voice crowding in, only slowing down briefly before exploding again. After that burst of anarchic fury comes Black Flames March, a mid-tempo song that could have come straight of of Sworn to the Dark, a lull after a storm. Afterwards, the pace picks up a bit with All That May Bleed, which, while never reaching the sheer velocity of De Profundis, is still quite aggressive.
The next track is my favourite of the album The Child Must Die, marks the start best and most interesting part of the album, slowing its tempo once again, and focusing on creating a more mournful sound, which it carries through even as it speeds up towards the end, and is definitely one of the best songs on the album. They Rode On, the following song, is definitely one that will generate the most controversy, as it marks, of all things, Watain's first ballad, with vocalist Erik Danielsson trying out his singing voice (which while not amazing, fits the song to a tee) and it's quite good, to my surprise; at first I wasn't sure what to make of it, but it has grown on me. The next song is another vicious and fast song in the vein of De Profundis, slowing down a large portion of the song before building back up to its former speed. It really seems like this one should have been placed at the start of the album with the rest of the more straightforward and aggressive songs, but the song itself is very well crafted. The title track slows down once more, going for a very Doomy sound, with Erik Danielsson singing once again, as well as some vocal harmonies, and is very good as well.
On the tails of the titular track comes another one of my favourites, Outlaw, which is an odd one; it starts with a tribal, ritualistic rhythm, complete with chanting, then bursts out into a furious speed, before collapsing back into the same tribal rhythm once again at the end, and they almost seem to be channeling recent Rotting Christ in this song. The following song, Ignem Veni Mittere, is an instrumental, mellow and melodic until halfway through where the guitar becomes slow and heavy, slowly fading out into total silence. From this silence come the last track, Holocaust Dawn, which quickly descends into a slower, more crushing rhythm, then into silence, and bursts back once more, slightly faster.
This is definitely Watain's most bold album by far, a great mix of old and new, and very nearly perfectly executed. The only bad thing I could really say is that one song seems misplaced, but even that's just a minor quibble. Some longtime fans may be initially alienated by some of the later tracks, especially those expecting mostly more aggressive songs, but I urge them to give it a chance.
Final Verdict
8.7/10
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