Age of Woe's 'An Ill Wind Blowing' Is a Monday Morning Gut Punch

​On their new album, An Ill Wind Blowing​, Sweden's Age of Woe skitter past their Gothenburg roots in favor of a more Stockholm-flavored approach. The band's second album is a happy marriage of crunchy old-school Swedeath, gnarly apocalyptic crust, and 90s Iron Monkey-styled sludge—more barren industrial decay than swampy bayou. They cultivate an interesting atmosphere, as well, occasionally cushioning the extremity with traditional Moroccan folk instruments or scratchy electronic moments.

The overwhelming vibe is one of desperation, from the broken leg pacing to the noisy, seething dissolution of tracks like "Heavy Clouds" and "Halo of Flies." It's not a pretty album by any stretch of the imagination, and doesn't try to be (atmospheric bits notwithstanding). Instead of wielding a hammer or twisting a knife, An Ill Wind Blowing​​ goes for straight for the gut, raining down body blows that ache but don't topple.

An Ill Wind Blowing is due out on War Anthem Records on October 14 (preorders for CD​ and vinyl​ versions are live now). We've got the whole album streaming below.

AGE OF WOE on tour:
Oct 21, 2016 AZ, Wuppertal, Germany
Oct 22, 2016 Jam Club, Koblenz, Germany
Oct 23, 2016 White Rabbit Club, Freiburg, Germany
Oct 24, 2016 Ebrietas, Zürich, Switzerland
Oct 25, 2016 Saint Christophe Vallon, Goutrens, France
Oct 26, 2016 KJBI, Montpellier, France
Oct 27, 2016 Les Pavillons Sauvages, Toulouse, France
Oct 28, 2016 La Scène Michelet, Nantes, France
Oct 29, 2016 La Comedia, Paris, France
Oct 30, 2016 El Diablo, Lille, France
Oct 31, 2016 No Man's Land, Volmerange-les-Mines, France
Nov 1, 2016 Titans Club, Lens, Belgium
Nov 2, 2016 De Onderbroek, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Nov 3, 2016 Mukkes, Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Nov 4, 2016 Drum Hard, Bielefeld, Germany
Nov 5, 2016 Alte Meierei, Kiel, Germany
Jan 28, 2017 Mono Goes Metal Festival, Århus, Denmark

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Kim Kelly is sporting a halo of flies on Twitter​.