Because of Wolfe’s newfound ability to communicate so much more with less, you could call Birth of Violence a tour de force—only Wolfe has mastered the art of eschewing force altogether.
Chelsea Wolfe cements her place among the gothic greats with Birth of Violence.
With Birth of Violence, Chelsea Wolfe offers a compelling work brimming with emotion and dreamy wonder.
Birth of Violence marks as a regressive, but still enjoyable, chapter in Chelsea Wolfe’s career.
Birth of Violence is a work of art that will please old fans and draw in new listeners too.
What’s come from this period of regrouping is a masterwork of gothic Americana, a record of glass-like fragility and honesty, and wood-hard resolve that’s as beautiful as it is dark and confessional.
Captivating, ethereal, contemplative and cinematic, Birth of Violence is yet another testament to Chelsea Wolfe’s versatility, sonic scope and artistic vision.
Chelsea Wolfe's creative versatility is on full and fearless display here once more, her music both invigorating and intoxicating on Birth of Violence.
Wolfe re-creates a sparseness (albeit with modern production methods) that shows off her best assets, doing more with less.
Another triumph, Birth of Violence is a potent -- if hushed -- reminder that Wolfe's intensity never wavers, no matter how she expresses it.
With mercury in her reach, Wolfe recoiled to find freedom, Birth of Violence's folk and country comfortability hitting her resourcefulness in a tornado.
Her solemn majesty and ominous elegance are more potent than ever on her newest LP, Birth of Violence.
With melodies that are stretched thin and simplistic lyrics that feel even more so next to the sophisticated arrangements, Birth Of Violence’s dark beauty is like standing outside watching the stars in winter: stark, beautiful, and a little numbing.
Birth of Violence's stripped back presentation, despite its bewitchingly dark vibe, mostly exacerbates the relatively weak songwriting.
On Birth of Violence, Chelsea not only moves about the expectations set upon by her previous work, but also demonstrates the true power of a talented artist doing the most with the smallest amount of sound necessary.
Unlike many other albums written in this vein, Chelsea showcases an album that is progressive and emotionally engaging. Dark and confessional, and much like the cover, depicts someone in the midst of a dark time. Almost armageddon-like, this album doesn’t deal with death in ... read more
this is Chelsea's lost highway, a noir travelogue of the dark corners of existence on the road. touring can be lonely and disorienting and many thoughtful artists end up with songs or albums like this that document those feelings that emerge at 3 am in some town whose name you can't remember or never knew, when it's just you and your acoustic alone in the dark, and you sing songs to yourself that you didn't even know were in you. she is 35 now. she was not going to be that manic apocalyptic ... read more
The High Priestess is back for the delight of Gothic rock disciples. The singer-songwriter has built her work with rigor and patience. Today, Chelsea Wolfe has become a venerated reference of this musical genre.
After the tribal electro-folk "Pain is Beauty" - and two rather heavy records with doom metal accents "("Abyss" and "Hiss Spun") - Wolfe released a new album entitled "Birth of Violence". Recorded in her studio with the help of her faithful ... read more
Yo I just got to Kangaroo Island today and I've already seen, like, 10 different species of birds. This place rocks. Anyway, having steadily expanded her style with increasing layers of texture and sound, Chelsea Wolfe pulls all the way back on 'Birth of Violence' with a stripped back folk release to return to her roots, with only light synth or string accompaniment to add some extra flavour here and there. It's a bold move to return to brass tacks after all these years having made her fame off ... read more
In this album, Chelsea Wolfe traces back to her routes. This album feels like a much more polished and better version of her first album, Mistake in Parting. Love almost everything about this album. The runtime felt very short and before I knew it, it was over...
I respect the hell out of Chelsea for stepping out of her comfort zone here. When Chelsea takes this new folk aesthetic and implements aspects of her usual sound, it works incredibly well. The few times the album doesn't work for me, she's just doing basic folk with a darker twist. Overall, it's a great listen, but a good deal weaker than the other records I've heard from her
Favorite Track: The Mother Road, Deranged for Rock & Roll, or Little Grave
Least Favorite Track: American Darkness
1 | The Mother Road 4:20 | 77 |
2 | American Darkness 4:48 | 77 |
3 | Birth of Violence 4:20 | 71 |
4 | Deranged for Rock & Roll 3:31 | 81 |
5 | Be All Things 4:20 | 74 |
6 | Erde 3:31 | 75 |
7 | When Anger Turns to Honey 3:09 | 61 |
8 | Dirt Universe 4:36 | 66 |
9 | Little Grave 3:22 | 79 |
10 | Preface to a Dream Play 3:52 | 74 |
11 | Highway 2:50 | 68 |
12 | The Storm 1:07 | 56 |
#8 | / | Metal Hammer |
#13 | / | Revolver |
#21 | / | Kerrang! |
#22 | / | Gigwise |
#33 | / | MondoSonoro |
#75 | / | Under the Radar |