| With The Eye of Infernal Wisdom, Werwolf returns to the shadows—not in retreat, but in reverence to the raw spirit that birthed Finnish black metal. Forgoing hype or modern polish, KNIFE emerges without announcement or promotion, its arrival more like an uncovered relic than a debut. Joined by Mikko Aspa (CLANDESTINE BLAZE, DEATHSPELL OMEGA) on drums, Werwolf shapes the music entirely, while lyrics are penned by Hellwind Infernus, a figure long familiar to the underground faithful.
From the first moments, the album rejects compromise. The production is unflinchingly necrotic—harsh, monochrome, and evocative of frost-covered rehearsal tapes passed between kindred spirits in dimly lit basements. This is not a continuation of SATANIC WARMASTER’s path but something more ancient and reverent. It trades grandeur for ritual, speed for atmosphere, precision for trance.
The true brilliance lies in the album’s pacing. Tracks like “Ancient” and “Thunderbolts Awaken A Tragic Throne” form a central pillar of slow-burning tension and occult power, balancing hypnotic riff repetition with subtle shifts in mood. There are echoes of early DARKTHRONE and the BBH circle, yet KNIFE isn’t pastiche. It conjures that same haunted feeling through its own channeling—fierce yet meditative, violent yet strangely mournful.
Vocally, Werwolf has shifted from the agonized howls of his earlier work to something more incantatory—a dry, rasping voice that feels less human and more like a spirit invoked. Aspa’s drumming is restrained, almost ceremonial, guiding the songs with tribal intensity rather than outright force.
The Eye of Infernal Wisdom may be deliberately uninviting, but that’s its strength. It exists outside the scene's usual cycles, firmly rooted in black metal’s original ethos: solitude, secrecy, and spiritual conviction. This isn't a comeback or a side-project—it's a vision realized, uncompromising and arcane. In the ever-growing maze of contemporary black metal, KNIFE carves a path straight into the abyss.
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