The American Wild West has been the source of inspiration for countless sources of media ever since the very infancy of that very period with its influence still being felt today all across modern media. Its presence in music has never been denied, but its presence in metal has never really had a great foothold until recently, and, even then, it’s loose at best with only a few bringing it to the table. Wayfarer may not have been the first to do it for the world of metal, but it’s with their 2018 album, “World’s Blood”, that it’s arguably the most well-known example of such, and it’s with this follow-up that they seek to show us that they can do so much more with the concept than just one solid album.

The very myths that make up so much of the Wild West make their appearance here in many instances with Wayfarer playing off of all of them wondrously, but its the translation of those myths into black metal that really catches my eye as Wayfarer moves from one track to the next with true purpose and power the likes of which is more than potent enough to execute something like this really damn well. Their last album was interesting, for sure, but it’s here with “A Romance With Violence” that Wayfarer continues to show us what they’re made of in no less than exemplary fashion throughout all seven tracks that are presented to us, and each one gives us another tale from the expansive plains and scorching sands that tickle the imagination in several ways. So much of this record is expansive in a mind-boggling way that captures the wonder of the mind in virtually every way, but it’s through their immaculate instrument-craft and grand musicianship that “A Romance With Violence” evolves into a gripping work that tells several isolated stories throughout the Wild West that we’ve all heard of in some way whether it be the pursuit of the supposed American Dream, the falsely romantic accounts of being a gunslinger in dying towns, or the concept of an expanding frontier that never seems to end. It all allows this album to become so much more than just a retelling of the Wild West in a black metal format, but, rather, a unique take on the period that puts it all into a completely fresh light that’s just as entertaining as it is niche. And yet, there isn’t a single moment throughout this massive effort where Wayfarer doesn’t feel completely in control and masters at their craft.

This is a concept that is beyond ripe for many more iterations with there being thousands of different approaches that could be make to it from all sorts of angles, and Wayfarer’s is as potent as any of those possibilities with their sound being a tremendously glorious starting point for the concept. “A Romance With Violence” has everything going for it from the production to the execution, and if it’s proof of nothing else it’s that Wayfarer has so much more to show us with this amazingly promising backdrop.

“A Romance With Violence” releases on October 16th via Profound Lore Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “A Romance With Violence” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Wayfarer on Facebook here.