Long sharing an affiliation with the broader metal community, Chelsea Wolfe has carved out an eclectic, compelling career arc. From minimalist drone, folk, and experimental leanings of her early work to her blockbuster doom and metal-tinged explosions on top-shelf albums like Abyss and Hiss Spun. Wolfe has traversed interesting pathways across a career which has elevated the gifted songstress from cult status to a deservedly higher profile. Wolfe continues challenging her songwriting by examining the darkest corners within the goth, folk, and metal-verses. Aided by a host of collaborators, including Ben Chisolm, Jennifer Declveo, prolific drummer Matt Chamberlain, Queens of the Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen, and Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails), Wolfe revisits the goth-folk stylings and ominous, melancholic atmospheres forming the cornerstone of her career. Ninth LP The Dark signals the latest Wolfe offering, an addictive gem worth exploring for listeners new and old.

Firstly, The Dark largely strips away the doomy and industrial layers that coat her heavier material, including 2024’s solid if uneven, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She, returning to the more subdued, folk and acoustic-driven work featured on albums such as 2019’s Birth of Violence. Borrowing pieces from Wolfe’s versatile career, including the synth-driven electronic thrums of 2013’s breakthrough album, Pain is Beauty, The Dark showcases an artist with ambitions to continue pushing her boundaries. Though listeners who prefer her more challenging, heavier experimental works (Abyss and Hiss Spun), may be disappointed in the album’s mellower, sedate flow.

While not one of Wolfe’s heaviest or most experimental albums, The Dark excels through a tighter, more straightforward songwriting approach, without falling into formulaic traps or repetition. Lush and stormy opener “Cold” and stripped acoustic gems ‘The Dark” and “Death is not the End” stir the emotions and straddle Wolfe’s masterful balance between frosted beauty and brooding melancholy, featuring strong hooks to boot and tearjerking melodies. A succinct and breezy listen, The Dark delivers infectious hooks and impactful melodies and is possibly Wolfe’s most accessible work to date. However, Wolfe’s songwriting is anything but one-dimensional, highlighted by the album’s shifting shades and more energetic, upbeat moments. Electro pulses and darkly sparkling hooks glitter on brooding rock-centric tracks (“Seethe,” “Swallower”), while the seductive earworms on “Halo” get easily lodged in the noggin’, enriched by Wolfe’s strikingly emotive vocals. “Turn the Key” ups the ante, cleverly demonstrating Wolfe’s tension-building and soft-loud dynamics through a brooding, industrial rock and synth-pop lens.

Vocally, Wolfe sounds as confident and comfortable as ever in her skin, her haunting, longing and ghostly tones a slice of liquid gold at the forefront of the album. Driving delicate yet powerful vocal melodies carrying lushly produced and arranged songs, like all her works, you can really feel the pain, sorrow, hint of hope, and scarred emotion bleeding from Wolfe’s voice, the raw emotional depth leaving a lasting impact, such as the solemn beauty and orchestral flair of closer “Dancer in the Sky.” Although less sonically dense and heavy than past efforts, the compositions are meticulously detailed and layered with numerous elements, from stripped-back acoustic forays and traditional rock instrumentation to the prominent use of synths and piano, creating a deceptively rich foundation for the listener to unpack. Occasional dips in album flow, lack of heavier, challenging fare, and a polished though disappointingly compressed master are the main drawbacks to an otherwise consistently solid and catchy front-to-back listen.

Wolfe rarely misses, and The Dark is no exception. Bolstered by tighter, more cohesive songwriting compared to her predecessor, The Dark maintains Wolfe’s stellar track record without resting on her laurels, though mileage will vary depending on listeners’ preference towards Wolfe’s songwriting styles and those enamored with Wolfe’s more sonically and musically daring career twists. A neatly crafted, addictive platter of goth, synth, and folk-tinged alternative rock, The Dark’s addictive, accessible streak demands repeat listens and often teeters on the edge of greatness. And I get the feeling this album will be a grower over time.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Lorna Vista Recordings
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: August 21st, 2026

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