Wolves In The Throne Room

Comprising dual vocalist/guitarists Rick Dahlin and Nathan Weaver, plus drummer Aaron Weaver (Nathan's brother), Olympia, Washington's Wolves in the Throne Room deal in dour black metal epics inspired by long, bleak winters, pagan legends, and Scandinavian bands like Darkthrone, Windir, and Enslaved. Honing their dark craft with two EPs in 2004 and 2005, the trio recorded their well-received debut full-length, Diadem of 12 Stars, in 2006, releasing it through Vendlus Records. Arriving in 2007, the Southern Lord-issued Two Hunters expanded on the group's already cavernous sound, while 2009's Black Cascade found them moving away from the sprawling ambience of their earlier outings in favor of a more muscular, traditional black metal direction. Released in 2011, Celestial Lineage successfully married both approaches, resulting in their most refined and confident outing to date. In 2014 the band issued Celestite, a largely experimental and instrumental sister album of sorts to Celestial Lineage that introduced dense, synth-driven vistas into their ever-expanding palette of sounds.