Chelsea Wolfe will never not be dark. Even in the absence of the ethereal, darkwave qualities her music has accrued – see how 2019’s Birth of Violence veered toward country and chamber far more than translunary atmosphere – the Sacramento-based singer-songwriter has managed to capture similar imagery with her voice and stories alone.
Like Birth of Violence, The Dark searches for alternative methods with which to convey darkness. Previous album She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She previewed the alt metal approach Chelsea takes on Swallower; sort of an Evanescence-branded darkness that suits her well since Chelsea is, and always has been, rather good at crafting an anthem. Turn the Key is a distinct rock song marked by unhinged vocalisations and unusual tom-slapping by the legendary Matt Chamberlain.
But while Chelsea conductively embraces bleakness, even reclaiming a darkwave, pseudo-industrial edge on Seethe, the tone of The Dark reads like a narrowly gothic pop album that shies too far from the productive, sonic qualities that made her previous records feel like witchcraft.
Murky, gentle folk stylings prohibit Halo and the title track, while I’m Not There glares, vaguely fervently if not for some dynamic songwriting once the piece switches from a minor key to major.
But hey, Chelsea Wolfe will never not be dark. She remains imagistic no matter how typical a singer-songwriter album The Dark may appear in its more reserved moments. There is a fantastic build in the chorus of Cold, a delicate mix of dark and light, the latter proposed by a sweet uplift in Chelsea’s voice. If you really love a build, check out the mighty low-end programming that fuels Death Is Not the End’s crescendo, which weeps musically despite Wolfe’s widow-like vacancy, numb from grief.
Her scared, scary vocals prove elusive on Humours, making way for a stunning vibrato on the chorus, and what sounds like children screaming in the background. Grim. There are a few Neko Cases and Angel Olsens out there as good at doing this, but Chelsea Wolfe proves her resourcefulness where darkness is concerned on her appropriately-titled ninth album. The Dark is reserved, presentation-wise, but, you know, dark. Made that clear already, didn’t I.
Best track – Swallower.
Rating – 6 out of 10
