WOLVERINE

Arriving a full decade after the release of their last full-length album, "Anomalies" marks the long-awaited return to action of one of Scandinavia's most illustrious prog bands. WOLVERINE have never been a particularly prolific bunch, but the music they have made has always had some kind of impact. Early albums like "The Window Purpose" (2001) and "Cold Light Of Monday" (2003) were loosely connected to the whole progressive death metal scene that was flourishing at the turn of the century, and with much of the gothic atmosphere and cinematic depth that necessarily came along with it. Later releases have been less concerned with heaviness, and more interested in nuanced songwriting and sating artful, conceptual urges, with 2021's "A Darkened Sun" EP and accompanying mini-movie coming closest to the holistic multimedia experience that prog bands are often inclined to pursue. The long gap between "A Darkened Sun" and "Anomalies" was undoubtedly due to life's habit of getting in the way of things, but WOLVERINE have not wasted their time away from the prog rock spotlight. This is as beautifully dark and dramatic as anything the Swedes have released in the past, but with emotional depths and textural quirks that elevate the band's meticulously crafted and unerringly melancholic songs to new levels of efficacy. At a time when many metal bands are intentionally making the angriest and ugliest music possible, albums as straightforwardly beautiful as this are a much needed antidote.

WOLVERINE have made a habit of not fitting into any pre-determined pigeonhole. "Anomalies" is a prog album that borrows from metal without relying on its in-built dynamics. The riff that introduces "A Sudden Demise" is undeniably heavy, and there are several other moments that conform to the modern prog metal way of things, but these songs are principally concerned with touching hearts and using melody to conjure an atmosphere beyond the superficial. Vocalist Stefan Zell has a fabulous voice that conveys every vexed emotion with laudable skill. "A Sudden Demise" is the ideal entry point, with no radical detours or oddball surprises, and the remaining eight tracks follow a similar path, eschewing grand gestures in favor of lethal melodies and arrangements that combine past, present and future prog with great, naturalistic flair. From the lavish, quasi-ambient drift and punchy art rock momentum of "My Solitary Foe", to the graceful, slow-simmering, love paean of "A Perfect Alignment", WOLVERINE honor their songs above all else.

At times, "Anomalies" offers the perfect blend of sorrow and euphoria. "Circuits" is a masterful, downbeat pop song with shades of THE BLUE NILE and a persistent drum machine pulse that deftly grounds the amorphous synth tones that billow in the background. Even more stunning is "This World And All Its Dazzling Lights": an elevated synth-pop symphony with Zell's world-weary vocals soaring over a brooding, electronic rock core and waves of Mellotron. WOLVERINE know how to deliver a melancholy money shot, and "Nightfall" is another song that will strum your heartstrings with impunity, as its airy, alt-rock chassis hurtles forward, gently bombastic to the bittersweet end.

An album that acknowledges the state of things and offers reawakened humanity as the only credible way out, "Anomalies" is a collection of sad, thoughtful songs that are both musically adventurous and impressively hard to define. WOLVERINE make such beautiful music that elbowing them into established genre categories is entirely pointless. "Anomalies" is a prog album — that much is obvious — but its most important achievement is to convey life's turmoil with gorgeous melodies, elegant dynamics, and the fragile, flickering flame of hope.