
Forgiveness and redemption.
-- 2 Wolves --
27/11/2019
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Gothic Metal |
■ | Death Metal |
■ | Doom Metal |
Album artists:
■ | Likka Valkonen | Vocals |
■ | Jere Pennanen | Guitar |
■ | Petri Määttä | Guitar |
■ | Sami Simpanen | Bass |
■ | Niko Pennanen | Drums, programming |
Review written by Glenn “Terra Shredder” Van Bockstaele.
2 Wolves is a Finnish death/gothic doom metal band founded in 2011 and
in that same year they released their debut album “Gentleman Please” and followed it up with “Men of Honour” in 2012
and “Shelter” in 2014. After suffering from some troublesome lineup changes this
Finnish quintet have returned with this fourth album, “…Our Fault,” once again
released through Finnish record label Inverse Records. Let’s see what faults we
can shred in here!
I can best describe 2 Wolves’ sound as a smooth and groovy mix between
doom and death metal similar to acts like Insomnium and Wolfheart, seasoned
with gothic influences and even touches of black metal. In other words, there’s
a lot going on in “…Our Fault.” For instance, the album kicks off with the energetic
“Unwritten Names” and then continues into the darker and heavier “Strange
Patterns,” which features more death and black metal styled vocals and riffs as
well as operatic piano tunes. Then there’s the gothic doom metal epic “Of Storm
and Stars” with tragic clean vocals and raging shrieks and the piano adding an
orchestral undertone.
A moody intermezzo leads to the album’s single, “Dreaming Beneath.”
Another doom song with death, gothic and black metal sprinkled throughout. A
stand-out track on the album is the song “Departures and Arrivals,” whose soft acoustic
opening crafts a relaxing atmosphere until the distorted guitars take over. Not
in a sudden way, but in a rather logic transition. The remainder of the song
continues in an Amon Amarth fashion, complete with growling vocals, but with an
overall darker atmosphere. After another moody acoustic interlude the powerful “Tuhat
Kertaa” kicks in. The only song on the album with Finnish lyrics and particularly
in this song Likka’s baritone voice is used to great effect. The album
eventually ends with “The Fault Is Ours,” which serves as one final great
summary of everything 2 Wolves have brought to the table earlier.
2 Wolves may consider it their fault that their fans had to wait 5 years
for new material, but all is forgiven, this album was well worth the wait! A
beautiful blender of death, black, doom and gothic metal riffs, vocals and
instrumentation soaked into a dark, intimate atmosphere. Well-recommended to
fans of each of those aforementioned subgenres and to pretty much everyone
else! Here’s the lyric video for “Dreaming Beneath!”
85/100