Review: Wode – Uncrossing the Keys
Esoteric and expansive UKBM.
The UK has a storied tradition when it comes to metal, being the birthplace of it by virtue of Black Sabbath and all that. While some may dispute and endlessly argue over, the British Isles can also lay claim on black metal through Venom. And while it is history worth noting, Venom being a pioneering band of black metal despite having more in common with thrash metal and even punk, I mention them specifically because that nebulous intersection of influences will be very pertinent in short.
Wode is a Mancunian black metal band that has been around since the early 2010s and has had a very good run; opening for bands like Wayfarer and Mystifier, having a consistent touring schedule and releasing three well-received records, the band has definitely made a good name for themselves. Now in 2025, they unveil their 4th LP, Uncrossing the Keys through 20 Buck Spin.
In preparation for this review, I revisited Wode’s first 3 records, and suffice to say, they definitely deserve some of the hype they’ve gotten, as each album they’ve released from 2016 to 2021 shows the band constantly experimenting with black metal while keeping a solid foundation of first wave black metal with enough wiggle room to incorporate elements from British heavy metal (which has a distinctly punk quality the band openly embraces), death metal, and modern melodic black metal. As such, the band’s constantly evolving sound has allowed them to explore a lot of different types of extremity, which begs the question: where exactly does the band land with Uncrossing the Keys? The answer is what I personally consider a natural pipeline between black metal and post-punk.
Uncrossing the Keys is by far the band’s most expansive and dynamic album, which is saying something because this band has never stood still with their music. By their own admission, for this record they’ve incorporated post-punk, goth rock and doom metal into their already defined mix of blackened heavy metal, and you can definitely hear it in tracks like the singles “Transmutation” and “Under Lanternlight” and deep cuts such as “Saturn Shadow” and “Prisoner of the Moon.” The band excels at combining the melancholy of post-punk and the somberness of doom with black metal; however, they haven’t discarded or downplayed their blackened heavy metal style, as the album swerves wildly between darker experimental moments that are reminiscent of bands like Tribulation or Paradise Lost back into intense black metal and epic heavy metal classicism.
I opened this review by bringing up Venom because while some metalheads debate endlessly about who’s the “first band of x style,” what they don’t see is how malleable music can be, and the potential of how bands can expand and reform a particular style while still having a solid core. In Wode’s case, they’ve managed to overcome one of the biggest plagues in modern metal which is the constant repetition and stagnation, as here we have a band that has successfully defined their sound while constantly taking it into unique directions. Wode aren’t necessarily creating a new genre, but that’s not really the point here; the point is to evolve and expand boundaries. Part of the charm of bands mixing disparate elements into their sound is hearing how far they can take it, and Wode does this in a refreshing and engaging way.
My only complaint is that I wish they had explored the blackened post-punk sound a bit more. Some tracks and moments feel like if Bauhaus was fronted by Stefan Necroabyssious (Varathron) and featured lead guitars by Hank Shermann (Mercyful Fate). The record is especially well produced and mixed on top of the amazing performances, of which I have to highlight not just the masterclass guitarwork of M. Czerwoniuk and D. Shaw, but also E. Troup’s spectacular bass work, especially in how it perfectly blends the driving grooves of post-punk and the galloping speed of heavy metal. All in all, a pretty great record that makes me excited for what these Mancunian haunters do next.
4/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Uncrossing The Keys releases October 3 through 20 Buck Spin.
