Woe is still expressing itself.
Founded in the USA in 2007 by Chris Grigg (all instruments, Glorious Depravity, Infiltrator, Unrest…), the band started out as a solo project, but eventually evolved with the recruitment of new members. He composed and recorded Legacies of Frailty, his fifth album, on his own, released in 2023 by Vendetta Records.
The musician credits Lev Weinstein, the band’s drummer, also playing for Krallice, Geryon, Anicon… on some tracks.
Fresh Chaos Greets the Dawn first envelops us in dissonant, disturbing keyboards, before letting pure Black Metal develop its devastated sounds, topped by raucous screams. The icy leads perfectly fit with the relentless onslaught, which slows down at times to become more majestic, before the tone becomes truly apocalyptic on Scavenger Prophets, which suddenly explodes and becomes much weighing. In addition to the heavier rhythm, the vocal parts are also more ominous and suffocating, sometimes even doubled by backing vocals that emerge from chaos, which will extend to The Justice of Gnashing Teeth, the next composition. Some orchestration can be heard in the background, reinforcing the dark melodies that the musician naturally develops and which are soothed by this central break where soft tones appear, provoking a more lasting lull that becomes majestic again before giving life to the muffled introduction of Distant Epitaphs. It’s not long before the usual visceral, aggressive sounds resurface, punctuating the lament with waves of devastating rage, before Old School roots kick-start the track as it hurtles towards a gentler finale. Shores of Extinction follows, combining darkness with a more melodic approach, but the mood shifts slightly, leaving Far Beyond the Fracture of the Sky to provide the finishing touch. Much livelier, it mixes the most visceral tones with frantic speed, but also a more impressive passage and the cosmic keyboards of the first track before launching the ultimate charge towards nothingness.
Woe is all about visceral tones. Whether fast or more majestic, the riffs of his creators feed a raw and naturally dark melody, making Legacies of Frailty an ode to darkness.
90/100