Chelsea Wolfe
„Birth Of Violence“
Album, LP, Black Vinyl, Gatefold, Repress 2024 (2019). Ethereal Dark Rock.

Chelsea Wolfe is a singer and musician born in the USA in 1983. Of German-Norwegian descent, Chelsea began writing poetry and song lyrics at a very young age. Her first album, "Mistake in Parting", from 2006, was not released because, according to Wolfe, it was too personal and terribly overproduced: "I wrote very personal things about my own life, and I didn't feel comfortable at all… I didn't want my music to be so much about me, and I just needed to find a new perspective" (Chelsea Wolfe). She hadn't actually intended to become a musician. She took a break, and it wasn't until 2010 that her first official album, "The Grime and the Glow" was released.

Style

It's difficult to define Chelsea Wolfe's style. “Birth Of Violence”, incidentally my first encounter with her music, i would describe as Ethereal Dark Rock with her soft voice. Her musical playground ranges from gothic, neo-folk, doom, and electronic to heavy metal, which she combines seemingly effortlessly. While "Birth Of Violence" meanders melodically through the ears with its abundance of acoustic guitar, this isn't the case with her album "Abyss" (2015), which leans much more towards doom and heavy metal. Chelsea plays a variety of acoustic and electric guitars. 

What does an artist do when she feels drained from touring? Take a break, or, like Chelsea, write new lyrics to combat it! “The Mother Road” immediately takes us on a dystopian journey across the USA on Route 66 and deals with fear and change. Wolfe sings, almost surgically constructed, about a creeping “American Darkness” (song 2) and a frightening “Birth of Violence” (song 3) with an intensity that sends shivers down your spine thanks to her musical incisiveness.

This album truly thrives on the atmosphere it creates. However, Chelsea set the bar very high with the first three songs, and she manages to maintain that level of quality. I originally wanted to review every song, but I'd rather invite everyone to immerse themselves in this socially critical album and discover the songs for themselves.

Of course, listeners can also forgo the social commentary and simply immerse themselves in Chelsea's voice, drifting dreamily through the musical journey, which teems with wonderful subtleties. Both approaches work brilliantly on their own, but I still recommend listening to the lyrics and considering their relevance to our real world. The dystopian lyrics are a recurring theme throughout Ben Chisholm's production. Despite the heavy reverb, it sounds intimate and warm, almost life-affirming. For me, it's one of the albums of 2019.

Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Chelsea Wolfe
Drums – Jess Gowrie (Song A1, A2, A4, B1 to B3, B5)
Piano, Synth, Bass, Mandolin, Lead Guitar – Ben Chisholm
Viola – Ezra Buchla (Titel: A1, A2, A5, B4)

The photos are all from my LP. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.

No AI was used in the making of this Review.
©19.03.2026