‘Wastelands’ by Morwinyon
There are few bands that have instantly caught my ear like Morwinyon when I first heard Pristine, their first album released in 2020. The band’s only release (until now) was absolutely mesmerizing, filled with fantastical dreamscapes, fury, calm, and mystery. I liken it to a walk in Middle Earth with a distortion pedal and a few screeching Orcs on my trail.
Wastelands, Morwinyon’s second album to-date, is an absolute masterpiece of a follow-up release. “Devouring Flames”, the introduction to the new album, sets the pace with the use of flute-like ambience, enigma, fantastical keys, and haunting vocals. The trail where Pristine ended was resumed quite beautifully with Wastelands. Where many bands fail to deliver a second quality album after a masterful debut, Morwinyon seems to have not skipped a beat.
“Wastelands” (the song) has a folk guitar introduction that I wish extended longer, but it is enchanting. The song picks up pace with a hopeful tone, driven by guitars, vocals, and keys on delay. Despite the black metal undertones, there is a relaxing aspect to this song that is hard to pinpoint. It has a tranquility about it that is definitive of what makes Morwinyon so distinct.
“Quiescence” is an atmospheric ending to a record that is destined to be on the Blacforje top 25 at the end of the year (likely in the top 5). The synth-heavy instrumental song belongs in a soundtrack, but it fits quite nicely at the end of this masterful record. The serenity and beauty of this song carries the listener away to a place of calm and wonder, alleviating weight and replacing it with a healing ointment of sound.
Morwinyon gets a solid A+ for this release, especially considering the bar they set with Pristine. Fantastic work from the band out of Italy.
