This first sentence, the start of this review is quite uncommon, a bit disturbing, but it fits the first impression of this band, and for everyone who enjoys listening to Portishead, Chelsea Wolfe is a beautiful discovery. But I may take you up on that later, when Chelsea Wolfes description has its first traits.
Chelsea Wolfes name originates from the eponymous female singer. She is the heart and soul of this band. Apokalypsis is their first album that has to be highlighted from their complete discography. From far away this band speaks to us, shrouded of fog they send a message. Chelsea Wolfe creates an atmosphere with their music, repetitive sometimes, but also breaking their habits and creating new formations. Chelsea Wolfes music has a haunted style, full of suffering. The vocals are thin and weak, pouring out her woes from far away to the listener. She tries to break the barrier between this world and her world, her spooky place, dominated by crushing affliction and decaying existence. She is a banshee trying to regain her body, her carcass and asking us, the living, for directions. The female vocals, with a fluent continuity, remains behind the instrumental curtain, but shines through like a shadow play.
Referring a band to another, may help writing a reference. In this case, after I already described Chelsea Wolfes first traits, I can refer Chelsea Wolfe to Portishead -only the album Apokalypsis, since the newest album Pain is Beauty is quite different-, it shows that both voices stay behind the instrumental support, both, the vocals of Beth Gibbons and Chelsea Wolfe contain a soft force and a characteristic grotesque visage, staying in a raw form and getting thus a haunted aspect. But when they get into the foreground, this is where the music reaches its primal objective, where the whole composition gets to its designation.
Pain is Beauty is Chelsea Wolfes newest release. It encloses a heartfelt playfulness, it enforces the gloomy style from the previous album Apokalypsis, but therefore sounds clearer, what makes it popping. The instrumental ground backs off, giving the vocals more room, opening the stage for the vocalist. Together with a weaker, but still mainly acoustic instrumental support the traits of the singer are enforced. Chelsea Wolfe does not hide herself anymore, and shows herself with a presence rooted to the soil. When I saw them live last year in Zurich, the room was completely darkened (a bit to dark, until the band called the mixers attention to the lightning), Chelsea Wolfe, the vocalist seemed to be all alone on the stage, filling the whole concert room with her haunting vocals. The experience was a unique atmosphere, that I never felt before. She was grueling the listeners thoughts, carrying them away, embracing them with her incredible attractive appearance.
There is no metallic touch in the music they make, but nevertheless it has a haunting style, what makes it fit this doomy website and may be an unusual art trove for every delighted metal fan. It is a treat for everyone who likes music expressing pure gloominess with a folkloric impression. Chelsea Wolfe also has an appearance in the newest album of Russian Circles, on the last track Memorial, and helps the band finishing their outstanding newest album Memorial.
Words: Luis Luethi
Links :
Apokalypsis Album @ Bandcamp
Pain Is Beauty Album @ Bandcamp
Russian Circles Bandcamp