Wiht - The Harrowing Of The North (2012)
The Leeds trio really don't bother to bury the lead with the title here. 'Harrowing' well and truly sums this album up to a tee. Treading a fine and delicate line between a melodic post rock ambiance and a balls out head bobbing metal riffage the guys have really crafted themselves a real gem with this album. Even if the post rock/metal genre as a whole doesn't usually turn you on, I think you may just be pleasantly surprised with Wilt as they possess a certain knack to infuse the genre with a much needed sense of excitement. I know thats kind of a luke warm compliment, but just bare with me on this. Just think about all the post rock or instrumental bands you've heard of the years and try and recall all the memorable riffs you've heard, or even just tracks than particularly stand out? There's probably a few, but all in all not that many. Thats not down to a lack of quality, far from it. It's down to the way they're constructed and this is where Wiht set themselves apart. All those common elements are there in droves; the melodic serenity, the technical mastery and the haunting ambiance that serves as a background to everything else. But something else is thrown into the mix here, and that something is good old fashioned catchy metal riffage. A pretty rare commodity for an album of this type. Groove is more often than not a seldom used element within these realms, which is exactly why Harrowing Of The North is just an outstanding breath of fresh air. Almost like shoegaze meets space rock. It's both eerily blissful and furiously aggressive. I bloody love it!
You can listen to the whole thing on Soundcloud or listen to it the way it deserves to be, on lovely wax. Just head over to the Devouter merch page and pick it up for the exceptional price of just £12! C'mon, now thats bargain!
For Fans Of; Jodis, Red Sparowes, Mountain Witch, Rosetta, Judd Madden
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