12. Wayfarer - 'A Romance with Violence'

As I have stated earlier, the Americans take on Black Metal tends to be very different to their European counterparts. They have kept the power and sense of foreboding, but have got rid of the satanism and most of the imagery. If you glance at photos of Wayfarer, they look like extras from a spaghetti western, as opposed to leather and stud clad Black Metal warriors. This is because this is Black Metal reimagined as an epic John Houston western. 

You can taste the dust and the sweat in each and every track. They have used Black Metal’s unique blend of harshness and atmospherics to create a film score to an un-filmed movie depicting the barren rawness of the authentic old west. This is much more later Clint Eastwood than Sunday afternoon Bonanza. The swirling claustrophobic cascades of down-tuned guitars depict the unforgiving nature of life on the range.  

This is such an outstanding and inventive use of Black Metal’s bleak brutality. They have stripped away all the Nordic pagan mythology and instead overlaid their own historic touchstones, namely the harsh realism of the expansion into the vast American plains. It works brilliantly and has made this such an unusual but special album. Outstanding.