I didn’t even realise that I was reviewing another Toby Knapp album until I was looking up the information about the line-up. This guy has come to my attention regularly in the last few years, with bands like ONWARD, WHERE EVIL FOLLOWS, NECRYTIS, AFFLIKTOR, DARKEN, TOBY KNAPP and of course now WAXEN. Well, to be quite frank, this one is a complete surprise, as he actually decided to retire from the music industry at the end of 2024. So, the fact that he has gone ahead, come out of his retirement and singlehandedly made “High Plains Bloodlust”, the seventh studio album of his Black Metal project WAXEN is something that has come completely out of the blue.

As for what to expect, that is quite simple. If you have heard anything by this man Toby Knapp beforehand, you know he doesn’t do things by halves. He gives it all of his attention and abilities, and tries to make it as interesting as possible for himself as well as for us the listeners. He not only knows how to write songs, he also is a very good musician, being able to put down every instrument in just the right way. And that is exactly what makes this WAXEN album so interesting, even if it seems that the drums are coming out of a machine. It might be Black Metal orientated, but you get to hear what kind of great guitar player is, giving the whole feel of “High Plains Bloodlust” just that little extra spark.

I have to conclude that as far as I’m concerned, I really can’t fault WAXEN at all musically, and I think that “High Plains Bloodlust” will appeal to a lot of other musicians alike. It will also be something for those who like their Black Metal not to be too extreme, as you will get the Heavy Metal and Melodic vibes radiating from some of the guitar parts. As for vocals, there aren’t too many being used on this album. To be quite frank, I would have preferred Toby Knapp not to sing at all, because to me “High Plains Bloodlust” would have been an extremely brilliant instrumental album. Plus, what he does vocally isn’t adding anything to the listening experience, except for diminishing the pleasure it brings. Like I said, we can be thankful that there aren’t too many vocals on “High Plains Bloodlust”. To me WAXEN would only have sounded better without them.