Watain: Trident Wolf Eclipse is our most savage album

Watain vocalist and bassist Erik Danielsson has spoken exclusively to Metal Hammer about their new album Trident Wolf Eclipse.

It arrived earlier this month via Century Media Records, with the Swedish outfit launching the tracks Sacred Damnation and Nuclear Alchemy ahead of the record’s release.

And in an interview in the new issue of Metal Hammer, Danielsson has given some insight into the thought process behind the follow-up to 2013’s The Wild Hunt.

He says: “The Wild Hunt was a heavy motherfucker in many ways. The minute we stepped into the rehearsal room we realised Trident Wolf Eclipse was going to be a hard fucking album – very straight to the point, very direct.

“This one goes for the throat. It’s rougher, raw – the most savage album we have done.”

He adds: “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long fucking time: four tracks per side, the pace, the hostility of it.”

As for the striking cover art, Danielsson reveals it’s a throwback to the early days of metal and punk.

He says: “For me, it’s all about the roughest, homemade, 80s, photocopied demo tapes – as much from metal as old punk, when it feels like an underground terrorist organisation that’s done it, that it’s more than just subculture, that these people are trying to subvert us.”

“That permeates all our work.”

The full interview can be found in the new issue of Metal Hammer, which is on sale now. Architects are the cover stars, while other artists in the magazine include Within Temptation, Ghost, Bullet For My Valentine and Morbid Angel, along with a 2018 preview.

You can also read Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog free online with a TeamRock+ subscription.

Trident Wolf Eclipse is now available on CD, limited Digipak CD with bonus track, LP, limited edition vinyl box set and via digital platforms.

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Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.