ALBUM REVIEW: THE DARK BY CHELSEA WOLFE
Reviewed by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
Release date 21 August 2026
California’s gothic doom folktronica songstress Chelsea Wolfe has turned her mind to how the light interplays with ‘The Dark’. Her mature musings are embedded in glorious acoustic-driven rock and folktronica sounds. Her delivery of these new, insightful songs about “Burning on the inside / Burn till midnight / Out is the insight / Howl on the inside” is just wonderful.
‘Cold’ opens the album of 10-song, all of which are formed around the concept of darkness and loss of light, wrapped in the mystery of life at its darkest point with gothic lyrical symbolism and gobsmacking, beautiful melodies. ‘Cold’ is a beautiful, dark acoustic ballad with a divine melody and one of the best songs I have heard this year. The piano drives the energy of the ballad, then it magically mellows, allowing the drums to guide an inner heartbeat of the song. It’s magic!
It is followed by ‘Seethe’ with its thrumming bassline that builds tension before the dark rock cuts in. The bassline has a way of engaging anxiety that is blown about by the rock chorus. ‘Humours’ has a down beat drum and interesting percussion that underscores Chelsea Wolfe’s beautiful vocals hiding from “your gaze” as she “recites demon poetry”, as she “spits it out” to “get free”.
‘Swallower’ has a dark drum and percussion groove with added spooky, plucked electric guitar and the sonic vibe is haunting. The rock chorus in this song is like a crashing wave of sound, and it is the soundtrack to darkness, but the light of the guitar brings the listener to the surface. It’s so clever and devastating as the lyricism addresses the taking back of life and identity.
The acoustic-driven ‘Halo’ is stripped back with the vocals high in the mix over layered harmonies and heavily breathed melodic hums. The question posed in the lyricism is, “What does loving even mean?” as the “world creeps” and “tests” as the soul is pulled back to “the other side”. ‘The Dark’ is a tender gothic folk acoustic guitar ballad with electronics, piano and percussion. The song has a transcendent delicacy and beauty where the theatrical rock soundscape shimmers. It ends with the beguiling acoustic guitar and sentiments of, “My love glows in the darkness / In a world that feels so heartless / The light returns”. Then, the dark, grungy electric guitars bring the menace in ‘Turn The Key’ as the icy-cold vocals float over the top. The drums start to pound hard before a big chorus hits with a wall of sound.
The song ‘I'm Not There’ takes a gentler beat with a piano melody as the lyricism is about the fright in life: “to be scared” as the “shame” and “guilt” play out in a relationship breakdown. The love interest is already “a stranger”. It’s so classy! It is followed by ‘Death Is Not The End’, and it jolts from bewitching, breathy vocals underscored with acoustic guitar strings being plucked and bent. The song descends into a dark swirl of rock as Chelsea Wolfe’s vocals wail over a showering of 1990s alt-rock sonic soundscapes before the song emerges into the acoustic guitar melody.
The album closes with ‘Dancer In The Sky’ (in Scotland, the “dancers in the sky” are the Northern Lights) and the lyricism concerns the search for the light as the request is made to the lights to “come and find me”. This song has wonderful violin, layered harmonious vocals, a choir effect and a symphonic trip-hop sound. “Keep walking” into the light is the message as the beams “reach between the veil to find me” as “it’s the only thing that matters”.
Chelsea Wolfe has delivered a swirling rock masterpiece. ‘The Dark’ has narrative integrity and whimsical, and totally magical melodies. Gosh! This is album is amazing!
