If you take the band's history before renaming etc. up to 1997 into account, the Norwegians of 1349 have been active for almost exactly 30 years and have since achieved the status of one of the most renowned Scandinavian black metal band. The fact that 1349's last line-up change happened roughly 23 years ago has certainly helped in this respect: apart from the odd live musician, drummer Frost, who joined the band in 2001, is the “newest” addition to the lineup.

Having often released one new album per year in the early days, 1349 eventually settled for a rhythm of around four to five years. Both due to touring and their own increased qualitative demands (plus, of course, the miserable Covid years), the eighth long player is now being released exactly five years to the month after its excellent predecessor The Infernal Pathway. The new album The Wolf & The King follows this path seamlessly and picks up where the previous one finished. The Norwegians leave experimenting to other bands, and while I certainly appreciate that some bands want to bring “freshness” to black metal, I appreciate it at least as much when a band stays true to itself (and its fans) and they simply do what they do best (and better than most others).
Singer Ravn had previously stated that he didn't like the way how black metal had developed in recent years/modern times. Considering that, it isn’t exactly surprising that 1349 deliberately concentrated on “reviving” the raw, original sound of the 1990s, albeit with a much better sound than back then.

It is safe to say, that 1349 have once again fully succeeded in doing this. Driven by the tireless blast beat machine aka drummer Frost, The Wolf & The King kicks off with The God Devourer, a number that is surprisingly groovy and almost somewhat restrained by 1349 standards. From Ash Of Ages with its clear thrash influences onwards, however, all restraint is gone and Frost can once more prove that he is a true monster at the drums. The Wolf & The King reaches the climax of the frenzy with Inner Portal, whose short, calm spoken passages only serve to make the otherwise dominating, insane speed seem all the more impressive.
The only song that doesn’t conform entirely to this black metal onslaught is the somewhat experimental, darkly evocative finale Fatalist, in which vocalist Ravn in particular can show that he is capable of more than the typical black metal croak.

Despite the mostly relentless speed, the album is by no means a “dull” one-trick-pony: Unlike many lesser bands that rely on not much more than the blast beats and shredding guitars, there are considerable differences between the individual tracks and a whole range of sometimes more, sometimes less prominent melodies that give each track its own flavor. In addition, the songwriting (for which guitarist Archaon has long been responsible) has steadily improved over the years, as has the quality and variability of Archaon's playing.

1349 have once again delivered a very strong album. Not only is The Wolf & The King a very good album, it might very well even be their strongest to date. I do not only recommend buying it, but – provided you can still get tickets - also listening to at least parts of the album live: 1349 are currently on tour with Kampfar and Afsky!