We do not have an infinite time left on this planet. In fact, the more we learn about what’s happened to our environment, combined with the total disregard for our home by people in power positions, it makes our survival fleeting and uncertain. The planet, though, will remain, and one day it will heal itself.

“Estuary,” the eighth record from Pacific Northwest black metal power Wolves in the Throne Room, ventures 1,000 years into the future to a place where humans are gone, and the world goes about rebuilding itself without its primary parasite, us. Over six tracks and 48 minutes, the band—vocalist/guitarist/keyboard player Nathan Weaver, guitarist Cody Keyworth, drummer/guitarist/keyboard player Aaron Weaver (touring member Galen Baudhuin played bass)—still have their hearts in the darkest of arts but also expand their sound. The atmosphere is stormy, there are dashes of death metal, and the record is an immersive piece that may take some adjusting and also works best as a whole.

The title track opens, thawing from a frosty haze, the vocals carving into a vicious flood as the leads infuse electricity. Melodies spiral as the energy pulses, the playing bruises, and the vocals turn into a death growl, blazing as the leads smear, and fog washes over everything, absorbing light. “Knights of Tiamat” is murky as drums blast in, screams wrench, and the emotion spills over, drilling and scarring before going clean and introspective. Growls mar as spacey playing spreads and bursts into speedier leads, igniting as clean calls hypnotize. Clouds encircle as the playing combusts with atmosphere, soaring into a black hole. “Foretold in Reflections” is dusty and strange, mauling as the bass plods and dark growls scrape, synth cascading like a waterfall. Sounds thicken and rattle as whirring darkness takes over, keys freezing as the vocals jolt, the drums echoing into time.

“The Orca Cliffs” opens with drums rousing, frost thickening, and howls stunning, guitars breathing fire. Shrieks wrench as the song opens and drenches, flooding the senses as the blood stampedes through veins, mists growing and revealing a mystical plane. Leads bleed as the playing increases the intensity, the pace slowing and blending into industrial chaos. “Ghosts Among the Obelisks” smears your vision and tears open, howls wrecking as a spacious gallop unloads, the drama building before detached singing brings a ghostly feel. Then the tempo rumbles harder, the howls bruise, and the shadows multiply, sinking into a dream scape. Closer “Wretched Spirits, Land of Light” strikes with muscular riffs, relentless speed, and blanketing heat, howls scathing before the fury scales back. Things take a sinister turn, keys envelop, and it feels like you’re on alien terrain, burning off the last of its fuel supply and facing an unknown destiny.

“Estuary” is another course shift for Wolves in the Throne Room, a band that never stays on one path for too long. This is their most varied and non-formulaic release yet, one that’s heavier and meaner in parts, opening new gateways to sound in others. The band’s glimpse into a strange future that outlives us all adds to the intrigue, as a transformed planet with powers currently unknown makes for a ripe place for barbaric storytelling.

For more on the band, go here: https://wittr.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://www.relapse.com/pages/wolves-in-the-throne-room-estuary

For more on the label, go here: https://www.relapse.com/