I reviewed WESENWILLE’s second album in March of 2021 and have been tracking what this band has been up to since then. I could say this a hundred times but I love the city of Utrecht and WESENWILLE was an obvious pick for me. What we have here, their 2022 release on the excellent Les Acteurs De L’Ombre Productions, is a compilation of their first album and tracks from their live show at Roadburn Redux. These were recorded on March 23, 2021 at 013 Main Stage, Tilburg, Netherlands. Considering CD 1 for a moment, this is harmonious dissonant Black Metal with sharp melodic riffs that don’t dull any moment. WESENWILLE gets aggressive every now and then, but those sections are also well put together, the drumming is impeccable. The vocals are standard Black Metal vocals but well, it is the atmosphere that WESENWILLE builds that adds in the final layer of charm. No, this isn’t a one in a thousand Black Metal bands, but their execution puts them a notch above the rest for sure. I quite enjoy this kind of Black Metal, something that isn’t latching onto the history, but gently pushes forward in terms of guitar work because as standard as the drumming is, their sudden involvement in the sonic layer quite uplifts the entire spectrum of WESENWILLE. The gloominess of their cover does add to the overall effect, the cover of all their releases evoke an introspective element in the listener. It is something I quite like, because I do look at the artwork now and then when listening to the music. The band has also put up a video for the track ‘The Churning Masses’ on their Bandcamp site which you must absolutely check out, they’re perfect with their execution! This is what I’m talking about, they evolve their performance to that of a ritual effortlessly. Highly recommended! For more info, please visit: www.facebook.com/wesenwille, www.facebook.com/ladloproductions