Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the band bases their sound on Europe's 1990s black metal movement. Displaying America's rugged individualism, the quintet is unafraid of deviations from that style's traditional mixture of evil lyrics, raw guitar tones, blasting percussion and gruesome imagery. Instead, the order of the day is dynamic metal shifting speeds and volume levels under a wall of hazy sound.

Also absent is black metal's penchant for elaborate performance gimmicks. There's no fake blood, no grim face paint, no spiked leather or demonic stage monikers. Quietly, Undramatically is instead an anguished howl from living, breathing people, each smothered by their inability to impact the universe.

"No Solitude" immediately delivers this proclamation, droning guitars swelling besides pounding drums into a dull roar which is the essence of defeatism. "The Road from Recovery" switches gears, overwhelming listeners with its blistering speed and manic shrieks. Never slacking its pace, the song's only relief is some subtle guitar melody which creeps in amid the chaos.

Little solace is available in the title track, a sprawling number which pairs churning riffs and galloping drums for an unhinged effect. The vocals are equally deranged, morphing from deep bellows to crazed shrieks. Mid-song, melancholy singing rises up before falling into a desolate wail. Raw and beautiful, it is among the album's most haunting moments.

"A Treatise on Control" finds speed-picked melodies cutting into eardrums alongside militant drumming. Mesmerizing and stark, it drifts along like a noxious cloud before dissolving into the next song. Entitled "Without Logic," it's a marauding number which delivers a dose of quick, angry music.

Album centerpiece "Full Circle" begins with raw, frantic riffing only to collapse into ringing acoustic guitar chords. When more plodding, abrasive metal crashes down, it conjures dread soon realized with another round of aural assault and hallucinogenic guitar notes. "Hatred is Our Heart" ends the album with a chilling cacophony of guitars and percussion perfected by gang chants.

Woe's artistry cuts so deep as the band understands the depths of desperation. Their music at times wallows in its own hatred while at others displays optimism that life will improve. It is a satisfying bait and switch because the band knows when to sacrifice betterment at the altar of the bleak. Quietly, Undramatically is an achievement in American black metal as it shows hope is best lost when examined side by side with reality and found wanting in the aftermath.

Tracklisting
No Solitude
The Road from Recovery
Quietly, Undramatically
A Treatise on Control
Without Logic
Full Circle
Hatred is Our Heart