Wren – Black Rain Falls (Recommendation)

A waterfall cast in stone, that was my first thought when I saw the cover of Wren’s newest album Black Rain Falls on Bandcamp. A force of nature encapsulated and destined to awe everyone who stands in front of it. But upon diving deeper into the concept of Black Rain Falls it becomes clear that Wren make music for a never-ending carousel of thoughts. Sometimes it spins faster and stronger with the G-forces exert their influence on the body. Sometimes it slows down and the mind takes in its surroundings. But all the time the thoughts are with you.

Black Rain Falls is as heavy upon impact as it is heavy on atmosphere. The opener “Flowers Of Earth” sounds like a monstrous root that forces its way into the earth: deeper and deeper. The following “Toil in the Undergrowth” is nearly instrumental in its 8 minute length continues to grow down that same path. In song like those Black Rain Falls evokes heavy early-Amenra associations, which can’t be a bad thing.

When applying the metaphor from the beginning to Black Rain Falls as a whole, the carousel spins in the first half not quite as fast, but the descents last significantly longer. Armed with a voice so sharp that it could scrape the barrel of human emotions down to the last trace, songs like “Precede the Flint” take their time to fill the lungs with air before erupting and cleansing the ears of every unaware listener. In the second half, the forces impact the listeners in shorter bursts, like in “Metric Of Grief” or the closing “Scorched Hinds” for example.

Wren have crafted an album that slowly works its way into mind. Once it is in there, its atmosphere won’t let you go. Black Rain Falls should speak to anyone who appreciates a slow beating with a big sip of bleak atmosphere.