Birth Of Violence - Chelsea Wolfe: Review
is an American singer-songwriter who has been releasing music for almost a decade that interpolates folk, electronica, rock and even some metal into her sound over the years. She released one of her most acclaimed records to date in 2017 with Hiss Spun and has been building up to Birth Of Violence with more acoustic and atmospheric singles.
Review By Lavender:
Chelsea Wolfe has never really crossed my radar until I decided to check out her 2017 record Hiss Spun as it received rave reviews from critics and fans alike. The record was a strange odyssey of genre crossovers and indulgent songwritng that I enjoyed and even one that grew on me after I first heard it. I figured Birth Of Violence would be a good moment to dive into her history and listen to some of her older records I had missed and I have to say that I wasn't really overwhelmingly impressed. While Apokalypsis and Pain Is Beauty were interesting listens that I enjoyed none of her discography was quite as interesting to me as Hiss Spun. Given that the singles flashed some potential I was excited for this record, but it too often fails to make its unique ideas truly worthwhile.
The singles for this record were very hit or miss with mean so I really wasn't sure what to expect coming into the record. The Mother Road is a pretty cool track led by some rumbling acoustic guitar and Chelsea's powerful lead vocals. The track is commanding and has an awesome build despite its general quietness. When the distant drums kick in song hits a serious high I never saw coming and it makes for a great opening track here. Deranged For Rock & Roll is a track that takes a little bit to get going but has a killer second half that I really enjoy and it totally makes the song.
The other two singles I wasn't as positive on. American Darkness has some great textures and a pretty detailed instrumental that I enjoy quite a bit but the watery keys that dominate the mix don't do much for me and it is one of the more tepid vocal performances she gives on the record, the song just doesn't find any way to stand out to me. Be All Things was my least favorite of the singles as it does just about nothing with its time and leaves a lot to be desired across the board. Unfortunately there were a few other tracks on the record that didn't do much of anything for me either. When Anger Turns To Honey takes a really minimalist approach but never does anything with it as there is no build whatsoever to make the softer moments worthwhile. Highway is another song that I didn't love which features a very, very loose touch of songwriting that fades away pretty quickly and reaches a point of complete aimlessness in its second half.
Thankfully most of these tracks have a bassline of solid quality. Birth Of Violence could use a little bit denser instrumentation but there is a killer tune at the core of this track that shines through some of the more underwhelming quiet moments. Preface To A Dream Play has some amazing driving percussion and a whirlwind of great instrumental moments, they do align kind of loosely however and the song doesn't have much concrete to hold onto despite all of its great pieces. Dirt Universe is an absolutely haunting chamber pop tune with some fantastic girlish vocals that make for one of the scarier and more darkly intimate tracks on the record.
Thankfully when the songs on this record are really hitting their stride they are something special that only Chelsea could create. Erda is a haunting and atmospheric song that I love mainly because Chelsea dominates the song with her voice, it's one of the strangest moments here but I absolutely adore it and it was a standout moment for me from the first time I heard it. Little Grave was my favorite track on the entire record, the song opens up with some strict acoustics and builds into a dramatic and amazing series of chaotic instrumental passages that swirl by in-between some amazing lead vocals from Chelsea. The whole track is a quintessential Chelsea Wolfe tune and the experience it creates is completely unique.
Birth Of Violence isn't quite the standout record its predecessor was but there is a lot to love here and when the record is at its peak Chelsea is creating some unique and instantly captivating sonic landscapes. Unfortunately a lot of these tracks tend to wander the longer they go on and a few of the songs here never really get started in the first place. The experiment is one worth hearing nonetheless for both fans and curious observers of Chelsea up to this point alike. 6/10
