Decline Of The I – Wilhelm

Written by on 15-02-2025 at 17:01.

Wilhelm is the fifth album by French philosophical post-black metal band Decline Of The I and the second in a trilogy about the work of Danish philosopher, theologian, poet and social critic Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). The band’s first three albums (Inhibition from 2012, Rebellion (2015) and Escape from 2018) were inspired by the work of French surgeon and neurologist Henri Laborit. In 2021, the Parisian band started a new trilogy, entirely inspired by the work of the Danish philosopher. In Kierkegaard’s work, the overarching question is: how can you become yourself? The existence of man, and the way in which he shapes this, play an important role in Kierkegaard’s philosophy. Another important theme in his work is the Christian faith. How does faith influence a person’s life? He published several of his publications under various pseudonyms, with each author writing from a different perspective. All this with the intention of allowing people to gain insights themselves, instead of providing ready-made answers.

‘‘Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.” (Søren Kierkegaard)

Is this conceptual content a bit too much after your liking? Are you not interested at all in this kind of philosophical reflections? Don’t let that stop you from listening to this album. Decline Of The I know how to wrap it in a weighty, dark and versatile content that is incredibly captivating. It would be a regrettable mistake if you let this beauty pass you by based solely on the lyrical content.

Wilhelm builds on the musical foundation of the previous album Johannes: fragile, layered guitar lines, haunting melodies, occasionally splitting blast beats and an impressive vocal layering – from powerful growls, ethereal choir singing to frantic screeching – provide an impressive experience. Deviating arrangements, frequent changes of atmosphere and tempo, unusual, mystical passages and/or effects and the vocal layering create an oppressive atmosphere and leave a persistent feeling of pitch-black melancholy. Decline Of The I know how to unite their biting, blackened foundation with lucid passages. This connection is not only extremely fluid and detailed, it gives Wilhelm a very dynamic character and at the same time also contains much of its fascinating charm. The band again takes the time to tell the stories in detail and spreads them out in extensive compositions. The five songs on the album span just over three quarters of an hour: Éros N is the shortest at just over six minutes, while the closing track The Renouncer clocks in at just over thirteen minutes.

Just as on the previous album, the band opts for eccentric, idiosyncratic arrangements. The quartet is constantly looking for nuance and diversity and does not shy away from sometimes drastically changing the structures of the songs and playing with the dynamics a lot. For example, L’ Alliance Des Rats has a subdued moment after just over a minute and a half in which choir-like vocals are allowed to dominate and further thicken the atmosphere. It is something that returns constantly on the album. To go into detail: Entwined Conundrum has a dogged start, but is soon taken over by a keyboard that mainly produces an electronic, industrial beat for two minutes before the tempo and doggedness increase considerably again. Diapsalmata has a long passage at the beginning with mainly mystical spoken text, halfway through the song wailing vocals displace the blackened ferocity and two-thirds of the way through the song spoken vocals accompanied by a keyboard, a piano and a choir, which incantatory recites a chant, take over the song. It must be said: that chant is wonderfully interwoven into the song. Éros N falls silent every now and then by short pieces of spoken text and a keyboard that regularly appears in the background gives the song even more layers. And the closing song The Renouncer does not escape a colorful filling as well, by, among other things, the use of enchanting, ethereal vocals, spoken words and the industrial sounds that lead the song out.

Wilhelm is an auditory adventure of the highest order. It appears that Decline Of The I have managed to crystallize their idiosyncratic view of black metal even more refined and detailed on this new album. It results in a dark, melancholic and varied album. No, those who prefers to hear their black metal as straightforward as possible, this narrative Wilhelm will probably not be for you. But they probably already sensed the mood by the tenth word of this review. Do you enjoy taking the time to delve into intriguing compositions, to discover all the layers of music that crawls under your skin? With Wilhelm, Decline Of The I has just presented you with a gem par excellence.

Score:

90/100

Label:

Agonia Records, 2025

Tracklisting:

  1. L’ Alliance Des Rats
  2. Entwined Conundrum
  3. Diapsalmata
  4. Éros N
  5. The Renouncer

Line-up:

  • AK – Guitar, keyboards, vocals
  • SI – Vocals
  • AD – Bassguitar
  • SK – Drums

Links: