BLODARSTID Reviews IN FROM THE NIGHT HERD

The latest self-released effort from obscure Virginia one-man black metal outfit Wrnlrd, "In From the Night Herd", is a concise four-song, 30-minute EP that contains some of the project's most restrained and focused material to date. Though not indicative of a global shift in focus for the project, this particular release is more along the lines of the Wrnlrd/Buer live collaboration (recently released as the "Avulsion" split 3" CD-R) in its avoidance of literal black metal in favor of murky dark ambient textures and sinister clean passages that develop a more blatantly experimental lean. Inspired by the 1961 science fiction story "A Planet Named Shayol" and divided into two mirrored halves of approximately 15 minutes each (the first opening with a brief three-minute ambient piece, the latter closing with one), the credited sources making up the EP are vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, programming, mouth harp, and fiddle - though all you'll likely be able to tangibly discern are some excellent acoustic guitar runs and occasional percussive textures under light dashes of effects for added depth. The surrounding/dominating elements of the material bear more in common with the experimental noise realm in terms of utilizing throbbing low-end pulses with vague hints of subtle distortion and muddily obscured vocals and instrumentation, while brighter abstract textures cascade in and out of the mix to add detail. It's a very dense, fluid recording that serves the atmosphere of the material well, and shows continued growth for Wrnlrd's work despite its intentional distance from the rest of the band's catalog to date. Well done, and I'll be looking forward to more, as always...

Tracklist:
1. Pain Planet
2. Specimen/Satellite
3. Black Remuda
4. In From the Night Herd

Running time - 30:13
Year of release - 2007


IN FROM THE NIGHT HERD Originally Posted By BLODARSTID Monday, April 2nd, 2007 @ 9:10 am Archived here with the permission of the author.

	The latest self-released effort from obscure Virginia one-man black metal outfit Wrnlrd, "In From the Night Herd", is a concise four-song, 30-minute EP that contains some of the project's most restrained and focused material to date. Though not indicative of a global shift in focus for the project, this particular release is more along the lines of the Wrnlrd/Buer live collaboration (recently released as the "Avulsion" split 3" CD-R) in its avoidance of literal black metal in favor of murky dark ambient textures and sinister clean passages that develop a more blatantly experimental lean. Inspired by the 1961 science fiction story "A Planet Named Shayol" and divided into two mirrored halves of approximately 15 minutes each (the first opening with a brief three-minute ambient piece, the latter closing with one), the credited sources making up the EP are vocals, acoustic guitar, bass, programming, mouth harp, and fiddle - though all you'll likely be able to tangibly discern are some excellent acoustic guitar runs and occasional percussive textures under light dashes of effects for added depth. The surrounding/dominating elements of the material bear more in common with the experimental noise realm in terms of utilizing throbbing low-end pulses with vague hints of subtle distortion and muddily obscured vocals and instrumentation, while brighter abstract textures cascade in and out of the mix to add detail. It's a very dense, fluid recording that serves the atmosphere of the material well, and shows continued growth for Wrnlrd's work despite its intentional distance from the rest of the band's catalog to date. Well done, and I'll be looking forward to more, as always... Tracklist: 1. Pain Planet 2. Specimen/Satellite 3. Black Remuda 4. In From the Night Herd Running time - 30:13 Year of release - 2007