Metal has become a fertile place for experimentation and seeing what else is possible with heavy sounds. There always will be those who stamp their feet over progression and only want blood and guts, and they’re entitled to that opinion. I have found a lot of the bands that have staying power with me and excite me are the ones who push boundaries.

Colorado’s Wayfarer have spent their run creating black metal informed by the Old West, making pathways for cowboys and cattle and blood. Their new record “Riders of the Setting Sun” barely resembles a metal record other than the riffs and some harsher vocals here and there. The rest is sunburnt, morbid rock, somewhere near Murder By Death, Nick Cave, 16 Horsepower, and labelmates Dry Wedding. This should not really be a surprise. We’ve been hearing more of this incorporated on their last few records, and now the band—vocalist/guitarist Shane McCarthy, guitarist Joe Strong-Truscelli, bassist James Hansen, drummer Isaac Faulk—goes full bore into this new terrain. And it’s goddamn riveting.

“The Dusklands” starts with horses crying and dark clouds collecting overhead, McCarthy’s ominous singing paying off the mood. The tempo heats up as the horsemen ride, Western-style melodies kick up dust, and sullen singing increases the shadows, firing up and storming away. “Perdition’s Crossing” features guest vocals from David Eugene Edwards (16 Horsepower, Wovenhand), and it flutters through gothy terrain, quivering as the heat dries, and the chorus pushes into smokier territory. Guitars drive and moan as the sun beats down on your neck, notes bending into oblivion. “Black Roses & Early Graves” shimmers and flows with a calculated tempo, strings jolt, and McCarthy calls, “If I were to ride on through the crossroads of your soul, what would I have known?” Lonely harmonica blows over prairies, and sorrowful melodies grip, the guitars crawling on hot ground. “Casey’s Last Ride” dawns with echoes singing, psychedelics haunting, and guest vocals from Kelly Schilling (Dreadnought) who adds a smoky charisma. Acoustics brush as drums echo, Schilling pulls a drape over the night sky, and guitars melt.

“Fell Spur” opens with guitars rousing, slide playing icing brains, the singing compelling as sounds pile on top of one another. The energy jangles as acoustic guitars add a rustic finish, the playing bowing down to the night. “Grey Country” features Munly J Munly (renowned for his solo work but also for playing with Slim Cessna’s Auto Club), and the track opens with bass taking the first steps, guitars trickling, and the singing luring. The atmosphere is dry and cold, but before long the temps rise, Munly’s deep singing feeling morose. He also duels vocally with McCarthy, the playing swirls, churning and blazing before fading. “Hollow Hearts on the Trail to Eden” is fluid and melodic, the singing floating as the keys encircle, emotion building as speaking echoes. Everything sweeps into a full-bodied display, guitars explode and the soloing layers, everything sparking a final time before fading. “Prairies of Babylon” has Midwife’s Madeline Johnson and her ghostly voice that murmurs over organs and trippy bubbling, the ice eventually breaking as guitars sting for a psychedelic effect. McCarthy’s singing thickens and Johnson joins him, a dreamy haze hangs in the sky, and the guitars glisten for a cooling finish.

“Riders of the Setting Sun” would be a daring experiment for just about any band but Wayfarer, who sound right at home here on the outskirts of metal, deep into the dusty West. The record might take a little adjustment even for long-time fans, but it’s a natural evolution where a step back toward heaviness in the future would not sound like a retreat. This is an adventurous album that turns infectious in a hurry and takes you on a trip that’ll leave you parched but ultimately invigorated.

For more on the band, go here: https://ampwall.com/a/wayfarer

To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://vesperian.bandcamp.com/

Or here (Europe): https://swampmerch.eu/collections/vesperian

For more on the label, go here: https://www.vesperian.world/