WAN formed in 2009 in Sweden with the intent of bringing Black Metal back to its roots, while throwing in a twist of Punk into their music as well. "Wan Way to Hell" is the band's third full-length album, and contains thirteen tracks. There is an obvious schism in this widely diverse genre, full of thousands and thousands of bands. You have the "old school" Black Metal that we all know very well, and now you also have Black Metal bands who have greatly changed the genre by adding in elements from other Metal genres to create new, unique sounds. Some fans like both, but others are purists and either like one style or the other. Where does WAN come into this picture? Let's get to the songs and find out.

"Known as Dead" leads off the album. Exactly as they describe, it is raw, filthy Black Metal, with short vocal patterns that definitely do have a Punk edge to them. The production is fuzzy and there is little semblance of order from the guitars, which keep a steady presence throughout. It's not until the six-minute "Igeltjarn" that we have something that is different from the previous tracks. The guitars still sound muted and overly-treble in nature, but the song is a slower affair with more depressive vocals, echoing the cold winds of nature in an unforgiving storm for which there is no shelter. "Wrought" is also a bit darker and more menacing, with a familiar Black Metal sound alive with intensity. Sometimes the full chaos of the sound is like white noise just reigning down on you relentlessly.

"Full Sving" opens with a screeching feedback from the guitars, and then an assault on your senses. "Piss on your Grave" literally starts with the sound of someone taking a piss. I can't imagine what one would have had to do to deserve this, but it must have been something pretty bad, and you can hear their anger reflected in the firecracker sound of this track. "Svarthall" is another longer and lumbering song, that has a repetitive riff that is oddly mesmerizing. The vocals are drawn out to emphasize their nefarious nature and are declarative, as if leading a ritual of some sort. "Wan Way to Hell" closes the album. Another three-minute burner, the metallic edge of the guitars really grate at your senses to the point where they nearly make you their disciple.

Overall, credit must be given for the band accomplishing exactly what they set out to do...returning the genre to its roots with that twist of Punk, because that is precisely what you will hear on this album "Wan Way to Hell." Fans of old school Black Metal will surely find this to their liking, but it was a bit too straightforward for me.