Decibrity Playlist: Wolvserpent

Wolvserpent was busy on the road in support of its recently released sophomore LP Perigaea Antahkarana, but it was guitarist/vocalist/keyboardist Blake Green’s other job that made him wary of even taking the time to put together a playlist for us. We’ll let the man himself explain the side effects–which, fortunately for us, he was able to get past–of his latter gig: “When I was first invited to provide a playlist for Decibel, I had to politely decline. My new night job as a front of house sound engineer had rendered my enjoyment of music impossible. I found myself preferring darkness and silence to my usual darkness and music, giving my ears a break from the cymbals, guitars, drunks and assholes. Lucky for me as since that time I have overcome this very real occupational hurdle and my love and enjoyment for music has been rekindled. I am sure it has nothing to do with working at better clubs with better bands, but I am glad either way.”

Green’s playlist covers his band’s favorite selections, including four that cover 20th century/classical influences on the new record (which you can pick up here) and four spanning the dark/ambient/metal side. Feel free to listen along here.

Arvo Pärt’s “Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten” (1977)
A highly influential composer from Estonia. Master of minimalism and breath. This piece is based on early chant music and is an elegy mourning the death of English composer Benjamin Britten.

arvo

Lou Harrison’s “Double Concerto For Violin And Cello With Javanese Gamelan: I. Grandly, but moderate” (1981-1982)
An American composer known for integrating non-Western styles into his compositions. Often using just intonation as opposed to equal temperament.

Henryk Górecki’s “Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs): I. Lento—Sostenuto tranquillo ma cantabile (1976)
An avant-garde Polish composer famous for using slow repetitive progressions. The second movement of this piece uses the words of a teenage girl that were written on the wall of a gestapo prison cell invoking the protection of Mother Mary.

gorecki

Krzysztof Penderecki’s “Polish Requiem: II. Kyrie” (1980-1984)
Another amazing Polish composer/conductor. Polish Requiem is a beautifully horrifying piece. Written to accompany the unveiling of a statue at Gdańsk shipyards commemorating those killed in the Polish anti-government riots in 1970.

penderecki

Nortt’s “Havet Hinsides Havet” (from 2007’s Galgenfrist))
Oppressively subtle ambient darkness. One of my all time favorites.

Catacombs’ “At The Edge Of The Abyss” (from 2006’s In The Depths Of R’lyeh)
A magnificently slow and densely repetitive masterpiece.

catacombs

Worship’s “Graveyard Horizon” (from 2007’s Dooom)
One of my all time favorite funeral doom albums.

Bathory’s “The Wind Of Mayhem” (from 1985’s The Return……)
What is there to say? BATHORY!

bathory

*Order Perigaea Antahkarana here.

**We update one Spotify playlist for each new Decibrity entry, so feel free to subscribe to that here.

Past entries include:

Drugs Of Faith
SubRosa (Part 1) (Part 2)
Vattnet Viskar
Skeletonwitch
Ihsahn
Earthless
Watain
Orange Goblin
God Is An Astronaut
Primitive Man
Gorguts
Exhumed
Ulcerate
Pelican
Scale The Summit
Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity) (Part 1) (Part 2)
Mouth Of The Architect
Howl
Kings Destroy
Zozobra
Call of the Void
Saint Vitus Bar
Coliseum
Woe
Anciients
Soilwork (Dirk Verbeuren) (Björn Strid)
Intronaut
BATILLUS
Inter Arma
Helen Money
Misery Index
Ancient VVisdom
Holy Grail
Rotten Sound
Ancestors (Part 1) (Part 2)
Kowloon Walled City (Part 1) (Part 2)
Aaron Stainthorpe (My Dying Bride) (Part 1) (Part 2)
Early Graves
All That Remains
Bison B.C.
A Life Once Lost
Fight Amp
Witchcraft (Ola Henriksson) (Magnus Pelander)
Vision of Disorder
Grave
Anders Nyström (Katatonia) (Part 1) (Part 2)
“Best of” Rush (Part 1) (Part 2)
Dawnbringer
Ufomammut
Shadows Fall
Horseback
Greg Mackintosh (Paradise Lost) (Part 1) (Part 2)
Torche
“Best of” Meshuggah
Astra
Pallbearer
Barren Earth
Shane Embury (Napalm Death) (Part 1) (Part 2)