Wailin Storms is entering a new era.
Fresh off signing with Season of Mist, the North Carolina-based band led by Justin Storms (vocals/guitar), Ben Melton (guitar/backing vocals/keyboards), Steve Stanczyk (bass), and Mark Oates (drums) is set to release its fifth album, The Arsonist, in 2026.
The album opens with the heavy, dissonant sound of Dead End, an intriguing opener barely softened by the vocals joining the mix, breathing a little more life into this veil of mysterious darkness while incorporating a more intense section in the middle, before easing back into a softer tone. The project’s many influences are revealed in this long break before flaring up again, finally leading into Heart of Mine, which is much calmer and welcomes us with a haunting, irregular sound, adding various intoxicating touches to captivate us. Distortion suddenly takes over the rhythm section, thickening it out and even indulging in noisy outbursts before handing the baton to You Never Answered, the next track – far more energetic and catchy – which nevertheless retains its unsettling guitar tones that give the riffs an unpredictable character. The sound remains fairly minimalist at the start of The Arsonist, the title track, which nonetheless has a rather dreamy and ethereal quality before gradually building in intensity – first once, then again – highlighting its ghostly Gothic roots. Never Rest begins with a rather somber tone that haunts us throughout the track and doesn’t hesitate to let it explode into a new, far more aggressive chaotic passage, but the frantic rush comes to an end before Saved brings us back to its slower, intoxicating tones. Although jerky, the track is relatively steady and carries us effortlessly toward the finale and its choruses before Patient Night offers a more Punk-inspired, almost playful approach, much like The Wind, which develops a gritty and at times slightly abrasive side, yet with a desire to do battle. The track occasionally slows down, but the tempo picks up again almost immediately, just like that almost ethereal final that leads into It’s All Dark Now Where Your Eyes Used To Be, the final track that begins with a melancholic piano, letting its rhythm intensify very gently until it becomes almost unsettling, building to a climax before fading away, finally settling into silence.
I’m not used to listening to projects as gentle as Wailin Storms, but I can assure you that the experience was a pleasure! With The Arsonist, the band offers a wealth of dark and captivating influences, and each track will draw you in in its own way.
75/100