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Review: Wildhunt “Aletheia”
Release date: 2nd January, 2026
Label: Jawbreaker Records
5 minutesGage J. Tolin
Jawbreaker Records are proud to announce the upcoming release of “Aletheia”, the long awaited second album from Austria’s WILDHUNT.
After ten years roaming the void, truth is revealed! Austrian metal force WILDHUNT return with their eagerly awaited second album “Aletheia”, out January 2nd, 2026 on LP, CD & digitally via Jawbreaker Records. On
their new work, the band consistently continues the path set with their debut album “Descending” – a mix of detail-loving, energetic metal and epic song structures – and lead the WildHunt into previously unknown realms.
Many changes were crawling over the land since their debut record, reflected not only in the lineup but also in the
refined and matured songwriting and musicianship. The seven tracks on the new album take listeners on a true
rollercoaster ride of emotions, accompanied by dark and thought-provoking lyrics without ever losing their edge –
making it a gem for all who like their Metal out of the ordinary. Fans of early Metallica, Heathen, King Diamond or
Megadeth – this one’s for you!
Cover artwork by Lena Richter.
LINE-UP
Wolfgang Elwitschger – Vocals & Guitars
Julian Malkmus – Guitars
Robbie Nöbauer – Bass & Backing vocals
Lukas Lobnig – Drums & Percussion
Review
“Touching the Ground” was at first a slow, melodic build up that was frankly beautiful. However, as it progressed, some wonderful heavy drums kicked in and eventually gave way to a nifty thrash groove to close out the instrumental opener.
“The Holy Pale” opened with a brief injection of melody, before a gnarly sweep took things up a notch and ushered us into thrash territory. Even so early into the record, the mixing on the instruments themselves is immaculate. That said, I was somewhat taken aback by the vocal style. Wildhunt is a band that I am only somewhat familiar, so I expected more of the typical thrash metal vocals that falls a bit more akin of Bobby Blitz or Tom Araya, as opposed to this almost epic approach to it. Is this ‘epic thrash metal’? It’s got a serious later-era Manilla Road vibe for sure. But that epicness does not mean it loses anything in the heaviness department, with some seriously killer riffs throughout, particularly a sick breakdown near the 3:15 mark. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention that insane guitar solo shortly afterward, ooh it’s a good one. This was an excellent way to start the record.
“Made Man” featured a decidedly heavier cornerstone riff, and reminded me a bit of some later Blitzkrieg material. The disgusting (good) little bass line at a bit before 3 minutes, ooh! What followed was a sort of mid-tempo guitar solo, that showcased more emotion than technicality, and also allowed the bass to continue to shine. The vocals, I felt, took a bit of a backseat here. I don’t mean that in terms of quality or delivery, far from it, just that the song had more extended instrumental sequences than vocal ones. Another strong track!
“Kanashibari” was a brief intermission that featured some soft, and occasionally almost dissonant notes, before the drums and distortion return for the final 30 or so seconds to lead right into the next part of the record. I did some Googling and this apparently means ‘sleep paralysis’.
https://youtu.be/sDWbB4je4IU?si=Nf5bUvRq_eXuH539
“In Frozen Dreams” began with some brief guitar that reminded me of the background music in hack-and-slash video games. The groove and rhythm throughout this one, orchestrated by some incredible drumming Lukas, is really what takes this one to a higher plane. Moreover, something about the second half of the track just felt different, like something was really clicking that wasn’t on the first half (not that the first half was bad mind you). Seriously though, the drumming is next level in this one, can’t express that enough. The gorgeous solo WildHunt injects as the final minute begins was the cherry on top.
The penultimate, and title, track, “Aletheia”, begins with a brief respite of acoustic guitar that almost felt yearnful. Damn, the first belt of the chorus hit me like a bullet train, just some incredible melody in Wolfgang’s voice. This was a perfect track, I can’t sing its praises enough. From the vocals to the overall vibe of it all, this one just felt special for some reason. I have to reiterate though that Wolfgang’s delivery for the chorus is sublime.
Finally we come to, “Sole Voyage”, a monster near 12-minute epic to close out the album. Despite that length, WildHunt don’t spend hardly any time forcing you to endure a lengthy buildup (as many lengthy tracks do), instead this one was all-in pretty much from the word ‘go’. The extraordinary sequence near the 4:40 mark where the guitars become melancholic, the drums stop briefly, and the tempo turns solemn, it was a striking change. Yet, just as quickly as it began, does WildHunt return things to the original feel. Here is where the incredibly vocal performance of Wolfgang once again takes centerstage, with some truly great lyrics to boot, and a voice that carries with it an air of adventure. This was truly a track where each member of WildHunt not only came together to produce something outstanding, but also all got their own opportunity to shine throughout the beefy runtime. It was an all-timer.
Conclusion
What a hell of a way to start 2026 (even though I still have a mountain of 2025 releases to listen through). WildHunt return with their second full-length, an entire decade after the release of their debut Descending, and their unique brand of thrash metal has not only not lost a single step, it’s refined and perfect to the point of mastery. There was simply not a single wasted moment on this record. I never felt bored listening to it, and it only made me want to really do a deep dive into that debut. WildHunt’s Aletheia kicks off 2026 with TheNWOTHM.com’s first perfect 10 of the new year! Great job lads, this was immaculate.
TheNwothm Score: 10/10
Links
Bandcamp: http://wildhunthrash.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wildhuntaustria
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildhuntaustria/
Label: Jawbreaker Records
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