A room of thrones

More than most bands, Wolves in the Throne Room’s ethics and aesthetics dominate perceptions of them.

The black metal outfit’s two permanent members, brothers Aaron and Nathan Weaver, make their home on a communal farm outside Olympia, Wash., and their lyrics and album artwork all evoke the Cascadian landscapes that surround them there.

For “Celestial Lineage”, Wolves in the Throne Room returns to those themes, but the album also marks a significant expansion of the band’s sonic palette.

For example, “Celestial Lineage” has seven songs, though no other Wolves release has had more than four.

Opener “Thuja Magus Imperium” recalls “Cleansing” from “Two Hunters,” with Jessika Kenney’s liturgical vocals giving way to nearly 12 minutes of vicious black metal, while “Woodland Cathedral” lets her sing a song without any intervention from Nathan Weaver’s tortured howls for the first time.

“Astral Blood” makes good on the Weavers’ promise that “Lineage” would be the stargazing complement to the earth-obsessed albums of their past. “Subterranean Initiation” sees the brothers cast as warrior monks, offering pseudo-Gregorian chants to the sky.

Even when “Celestial Lineage” isn’t breaking down barriers, it’s perfecting what the band has spent a demo, four full-lengths and an EP honing. It’s the biggest Wolves in the Throne Room album, but also quite possibly the best.