Chelsea Wolfe
Birth of Violence
Release Date: Sep 13, 2019
Genre(s): Pop/Rock
Record label: Sargent House
Music Critic Score
How the Music Critic Score works
Buy Birth of Violence from Amazon
Album Review: Birth of Violence by Chelsea Wolfe
Excellent, Based on 6 Critics
Based on rating 8.5/10
Its various forms (grief, rage, terror) are so essential to our lives as they provide balance to everything we enjoy or take pleasure in. It's a darkness that artists, musicians and writers tend to leave well alone, their only dalliances with it superficial or fleeting, because we only need to glimpse that abyss a few times in our life to really understand how deep it goes. But there are a few people out there, a handful every generation, who cannot help but attempt to alchemize that very darkness into some kind of healing force for good.
Based on rating 4.1/5
Birth of Violence marks as a regressive, but still enjoyable, chapter in Chelsea Wolfe's career. There are few in this game that can reify humanity's dark psyche with the same level of hypnotic command and oppressive distinction like Chelsea Wolfe. The contrasting beauty and ugliness is her main allure - a linchpin. It's a masterclass that hears Wolfe's ethereal vocal passages floating through gothic-smog like a ray of hope that's trying to contaminate the dreary, salient soundscapes.
Based on rating 8/10
While Chelsea Wolfe's forays into electronic music and metal have frequently been thrilling, the aching beauty of her acoustic-based music remains special. After reaching a peak of heaviness with 2017's Hiss Spun, she swings the pendulum back with Birth of Violence, an album that evokes, and embellishes on, the doomy folk of her earliest albums. As she proved on the excellent Unknown Rooms, the gentler side of Wolfe's music isn't any less powerful.
Based on rating 8/10
Just in time for the fall season, Chelsea Wolfe's sixth studio album is the embodiment of those eerie foggy autumn nights. As an instrumentalist and songwriter, Wolfe has evolved her artistry into something spiritual. The juxtaposition of her soft yet strong vocals draws you into her ghostly world, both dark and thrilling. Birth of Violence is a work of art that will please old fans and draw in new listeners too. Setting the bar high, "The Mother Road" is an acoustic ballad highlighting Wolfe's orotund voice. The track ends in a ….
Based on rating 7.5/10
Birth of Violence is the second collection of acoustic songs for Chelsea Wolfe, who is carrying a decade of successful evolution. Seven years back, the Tarot card reader released Unknown Rooms, an unofficial album. Laying on a bed for the album-cover photo, Wolfe's left hand hides her face; she expresses a look of devastation. Fast-forward to Wolfe on the cover of Birth of Violence, and we see a powerful figure with a sharp dagger raised over her head.
Opinion: Excellent
The Lowdown: Chelsea Wolfe's discography thus far has proven to be a terrific blend of genres, and her latest effort is further testament to her talent. Following 2017's Hiss Spun, her new album, Birth of Violence, displays the artist taking on a shift in presentation. Whereas Wolfe has incorporated elements of drone, industrial, gothic, and doom metal in the past, Birth of Violence leans heavily on the folk and rock aspects of her work.
'Birth of Violence'
is available now