Poland has produced its share of excellent black metal over the years; while the spotlight is dominated by the blackened death (and social media savvy) of Behemoth or the nitpicking surrounding Mgła, we should never forget this is a country known for its struggles, resistance movements and indomitable spirit as well as its Slavic heritage, making it well-placed on the roster of discontent and of pagan tradition that fuels so much black metal. It should be no surprise, therefore, that a band like Szary Wilk should hail from these shores and deliver such cold, dismal and bleak sounds as a result, accurately recalling both the pioneering presences of Graveland or Arkona’s early offerings to the genre on their debut full-length, Wrath. The name of the record is apt on several levels, too: the ...
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