WOLVEN is a melodic thrash/power metal project based out Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band was originally formed back in 2014 and have previously released an EP entitled "In The Mist They Wait" that same year. However, this is their first full-length endeavor entitled "Verbis Diabolis", released independently in 2017. It contains 8 tracks and 36:54 minutes of music.

The opening track "Aeons Of Ghosts And Ravens" is an intro which has a lot of dungeon-like, orchestral elements to it. It is very ominous in its atmosphere and design with some factory/metal-hitting effects present. "The Fall of Seraphs" has a strong beginning with powerful drumming, blast-beats galore, in the early moments, it slows down a little afterwards with more pounding rhythms and effects in the vocals (the lower-tone industrial like). A second set of vocals is present as well, more power-metal oriented and higher pitch amidst death metal growls. There is a bit of a FEAR FACTORY feel to the song, but the chorus sounds more like QUIET ROOM with the modern intricacies of SCAR SYMMETRY. There is a touch of black metal in here as well, along the lines of the more aggressive tones of DARK FUNERAL. The solos you could somewhat compare to that of ICED EARTH in their delivery and execution. The intensity of DISMEMBER crossed with the Floridian metal scene is about as close as it gets here in terms of mix.

"The Uninvited" has a bit more of progressive tone in some of the more complex guitar parts but the song puts the emphasis on the guttural growls here at the start and then switches to the more Matthew Barlow/ Tim Owens style of singing from Pete Leroux. This song has some elements from bands like MERCENARY, ILLDISPOSED or RAUNCHY, the bassy tones in the guitars that pound through the speakers, yet still have emotion woven (no pun intended) in it. The power metal energy here is still a shout out to the old school bands like SANCTUARY.

"In The Devil's Mire" has a more of an OPETH approach, especially in the way the melodies are played. Of course you can make the case that the vocal delivery of the death vocals follows a similar pattern to Mikael Akerfeldt. Some of the thrashier/progressive parts remind me a bit of FATES WARNING. If you were a fan of the "Still Life" album from OPETH, you should definitely approach this track. The song shows off some more melodic parts in the riffs and with the added high pitch vocals, you can make a parallel with John Arch. The ending of the song has that epic "My Arms Your Hearse" closure effect.

"Servants Of The Unlight" is a bit of a different number as it uses another type of picking in the intro, more along the lines of NEVERMORE, if you were to replace the vocals with a more DEICIDE-style to them. Somewhere in this Dan Swano atmosphere, we hear the progressive undertones present in EDGE of SANITY or the "Moontower" album. Here we have the concept that you can have catchy melodic hooks, amongst a barrage of growls piercing through the song. The effects used in the first song are also re-used here to add a slight industrial element to the track.

"Wrath of the Maskims" is a track that was present in the movie "The death and life of John F Donovan" from director Xavier Dolan and it is also the longest track of the album and starts off with more symphonic elements. It almost immediately transitions into a more HYPOCRISY-like atmosphere, one that may feel a little unsettling. The song changes its tempo however into a more melodic death style which you can compare to old school DEATH, during the "Individual Thought Patterns" days. The clean vocals (with a bit of a harsher side to them here) draw from QUIET ROOM's "Reconceive" lyrical style.

"Aperite Portas Inferni" serves as an interlude after the more aggressive predecessor with its factory-style, video-game like atmosphere. It has that horror ambience style, one you could compare to intros from DIMMU BORGIR. The closer "Soaring on Black Wings" has the NEVERMORE, straight-ahead approach with more subtle melodies, amidst rapid fire rhythm guitars. I would not say it's the heaviest song on the album because most of the album has a very crunchy sound, but one thing it does possess is probably the most memorable chorus of the album. It has simple structure and heard very clearly.

Overall, for a first full-length effort, there are a lot of elements I mentioned above you will hear in these songs. The modern influence of melodic death bands but also the late 90s, early 2000s power/thrash era which really resonated in the United States and then became more present in progressive-oriented death metal bands.