Friday Favourites – Wolves In The Throne Room

Friday Favourites – Aaron Weaver

This weeks tunes come courtesy of Aaron Weaver, drummer in Portland Black metal band, Wolves In The Throne Room.  The band are playing in Dublin on Monday night.  Theirs is the sound of paradox, ambiguity and confusion, Catharsis is the objective, not a lilly-white and guilt free existence. Death and rebirth, transformation and enlightenment.  All might sound pretty heavy for Whelans on a Monday night but theirs is a sound of a landscape, one you can immerse yourself in fully

Weakling – Dead as Dreams

In my opinion Weakling is the first true black metal band from the USA. This album is essential. I remember spending many days alone in the woods with this album.

 

Deathspell Omega – Wings of Predation

I play drums in WITTR, but I write a lot on guitar. Deathspell Omega is my favorite black metal guitar playing. This album is like an inverted Cathedral. Intricate, bizarre and deep

 

Leonard Cohen – Susanne

We played this song after all of our shows for many years. It’s seared into my mind. Leonard Cohen is a true magician.

 

Neil Young – After the Gold Rush

https://youtu.be/1e3m_T-NMOs

Is there a more noble example of an artist who has stayed true and relevant for their entire artistic journey? I love Neil Young. This is another song that we’d play after our concerts.

 

Grouper – Alien Observer

Liz Harris is a friend of ours from old DIY punk days. This song was playing when my son was born!

 

Joanna Newsom – Emily

A lot of my writing on Celestial Lineage was influenced by the structures on “Ys”. Wolves in the Throne Room writes long compositions and I got a few good ideas from Newsom’s sprawling creation. This album is a flawless classic.

Ulver – Troldskog faren vild

For me this song is the essence of Black Metal. I will always love it.

 

Neurosis – Through Silver in Blood

When Nathan and I were teenagers we volunteered at the punk venue in olympia, the Capital Theatre. It was mind (and 3rd eye) opening to help Neurosis load in for a show on the Through Silver in Blood tour. They established the path of a musical tribe that we’ve followed.

 

niallhope