The True Werwolf is another project from the force behind Satanic
Warmaster, Pest, Orlok, etc. My familiarity with this one is rather vague, only having heard enough to know that some of the
material is rather ecclectic and so on. Fortunately, 2011's Battlemoon is a straightforward recording of raw Finnish
black metal, which appealed to me right away.
This E.P. features just two tracks, which is a shame as I could listen
to an entire record in this vein. The style here is very primitive and raw, even including a bit of hissing and tape warpage
that makes it sound like a twenty year-old demo. The songwriting is very straightforward and one can hear traces of old Darkthrone,
Vlad Tepes and even Moonblood in some of the riffs in "My Journeys Under the Battlemoon" and "The Grandeur of Death's Palace".
Speaking of Vlad Tepes, there are layered vocals throughout the recording that are reminiscent of the multiple voices utilized
on their old demos. Many of the riffs on Battlemoon are cold and, at times, nostalgic. This is something that Werwolf
is definitely known for. The simple melodies are rather haunting and memorable, and I found myself listening to these tracks
on repeat until they'd played about a dozen times, without wearing thin whatsoever.
The True Werwolf's influences may be transparent (as is often the
case with black metal anyway), but Battlemoon succeeds in capturing a raw and old sound that should satisfy fans of
the aforementioned inspirations, as well as his other projects. It is a good thing that, in this disgusting modern age, some
people are still offering up ugly, primitive black metal.
(10 Jan. 2016)
