AOTY 2023

Primordial Arcana

Wolves in the Throne Room - Primordial Arcana
Critic Score
Based on 12 reviews
2021 Ratings: #376 / 752
User Score
Based on 183 ratings
2021 Ratings: #289
Liked by 18 people
August 20, 2021 / Release Date
LP / Format
Relapse / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

98
Sputnikmusic

Primordial Arcana combines the band’s better features into one, defining release.

80
AllMusic
As a whole, the album doesn't provide a lot sonically that fans haven't heard before, but it doesn't need to because WITTR create their most uneasy balance of brute force, massive power, and brooding, trepidatious calm to date.
80
Metal Injection

They sound fresher and more creative than ever. The Weaver brothers are finally venturing out of the underground and up into the light.

80
FLOOD Magazine

The record is a call to adventure, and like fantasy stories promising transformation and reward, it’s worth the undertaking.

80
Kerrang!

Primordial Arcana is an example of a band not only matching up to their established greatness, but far exceeding it.

80
Louder Than War
Make no mistake, Wolves In the Throne Room are an absolute force of nature: powerful, dark and triumphant. Primordial Arcana manages to be all these things at once.
80
Distorted Sound

Primordial Arcana follows in its predecessors footsteps of feeling more akin to an experience than an album. But more than that – here we find a Wolves In The Throne Room advocating their own expansion, and they’ve never sounded grander.

70
Loud and Quiet

For the first time in years, the band seem more concerned with mortal matters than transcending into more lofty, atmospheric realms.

70
Angry Metal Guy

Overall, Primordial Arcana is a mature and highly enjoyable collection from Wolves in the Throne Room. While not perfect, and not quite reaching the heights of those early, seminal works, it is perhaps the purest distillation of their new sound that began with Celestial Lineage.

55
Pitchfork
Working out of their home studio in the Washington woods, experimentally minded brothers Nathan and Aaron Weaver return to their roots in atmospheric black metal, but they no longer sound like pioneers.
AffanAhmad
80

Not really a huge black metal fan tbh, but i really enjoyed this album. It has very lowkey production, but the melodies and instrumentals work well together while the vocals serve almost as atmosphere rather than being the forefront of the song as a whole. An interesting choice, and one im 100% on board with.

FatalNoise
62

Pretty chilling black metal but lacks that punch and unique style that we usually hear

Schmedess
77

WITTR deliver their best album since Celestite through a series of straight to the point atmospheric black metal. It’s not reinventing the wheel but is without question delivering fun and visceral black metal tunes.

Wattu_Rilly
88

Honestly super underrated and way better than two hunters imo

graboski72
95

This certain album is special for me and yes i may overrate it but let me, Wolves shocked me with their previous studio album "Thrice woven" even if i had gone thru a nice amount of folk-ambient bm before, now with Primordial Arcana they show up once again with superficially the same concept yet for me it bears new wave of can we get from such genre. Wolves lyrically present virtually poetic language and vivid wordscapes of their beloved homeland as PNW is.

EvilBradTaste
76

A sonically pleasing journey, continuing the bands semi-consistent history.

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Year End Lists

#10/Decibel
#14/Sputnikmusic
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Added on: June 10, 2021