There was a time when the primeval forest swathed this island kingdom in arboreal splendour; from the white chalk cliffs in the south to the dark lochs in the far north, coast to desolate coast. Beneath its vast canopy the lupine lords ruled the half-light, the great wolves of twilight and shadow – stalkers of the living, eaters of the dead, kings of darkness. Their time has passed, as all times do, driven from their wooded palaces by fire and sword, cast from kingship to oblivion. But when dusk falls their ghosts still run through the remnants of our woodlands, the faint echoes of their cries riding on the chill winds of memory.

The three songs that make up the haunting new EP from atmospheric black metallers Wolvencrown, A Shadow Of What Once Was, subsume the senses, enfolding the listener in layers of dream and memory, summoning the scent of fallen leaves, the touch of evening mists and the howl of the pack upon the cold night breeze. The guitars race like wind driven clouds across the moon through the grand two part epic that is ‘A Shadow Of What Once Was’, capturing an exhilarating, savage beauty, while the keyboards of ‘Coming To An End’ play a mournful lament for the passing of the ages. Building upon the dynamic melodies and rich atmosphere of their acclaimed debut album, Of Bark And Ash, A Shadow Of What Once Was refines and expands upon the possibilities within Wolvencrown’s evocative music. This band are storytellers, bards and the power and emotion that radiates from this new chapter in their enthralling tale is breathtaking. For some bands an EP might represent a stop gap release, a time filler between the serious business of full length albums, but for Wolvencrown it’s a doorway to new visions, a fresh opportunity to explore and create something vital, alive and utterly essential.

A Shadow Of What Once Was will be released on February 26th through Clobber Records and comes adorned with the stunning artwork of Joan Llopis Domenech (Lustre, Sojourner, Ruadh etc). This is a release to be cherished, a dark treasure to uncover. This is a chance meeting upon a midnight path with long dead kings whose shades are swift of foot and sharp of tooth…