Chelsea Wolfe has shared her spine-chilling new single “Diana,” inspired by Wonder Woman in DC Comics’ “Dark Nights: Death Metal” comics. The forthcoming Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack is out digitally on June 18th via Loma Vista Recordings (physical LPs out July 16th) and executive produced by Tyler Bates (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Watchmen,” “John Wick”).
“It has been such an honor and delight to be involved in this whole project, from contributing a song to the soundtrack to voicing Wonder Woman for the DC Comics Sonic Metalverse episodes. I really love the story and artwork of this Dark Nights: Death Metal series, and felt really drawn to Diana’s part in the story — her strength and perspective,” says Wolfe. “There’s this moment in the first comic book issue where she meets with Wally West and he’s so drained from his travels and all he’s had to do. I picked up on this intimate energy between them that felt almost romantic, but more just like two old friends who have an understanding between them — a moment of comfort and respite amongst all the fighting and chaos. I ended up writing this song about that encounter. Working with Tyler Bates on ‘Diana’ was a great experience. He’s obviously so killer at creating music that feels like the soundtrack to your own movie, so between him and my co-producer Ben Chisholm there was this elevated sonic landscape surrounding the song that just brought it to a different level.”
“Diana” follows two previous Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack singles — Maria Brink’s “Meet Me In The Fire (Feat. Andy Biersack)” and Mastodon’s “Forged By Neron.” The soundtrack is available for pre-order on digital download, CD, and 2xLP-with exclusive Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman vinyl variant covers, 11 limited edition character trading cards, and more HERE.
Chelsea Wolfe has spent her career making music that is as fascinating as it is undefinable. Built on seven studio albums and numerous tours of consistently powerful performances around the globe, Wolfe’s work has transmuted itself repeatedly throughout her 10-year career, with the through-line of her voice ever at the centre, surrounded by the sonic landscapes of her co-producer Ben Chisholm. Her earlier records exposed the intimacy of folk music with a doomed, bleak aesthetic (The Grime and the Glow, Apokalypsis, Unknown Rooms). She later immersed herself in a sonic intensity approaching the electronic industrial (Pain Is Beauty, Abyss) and even sludge metal (Hiss Spun). Her latest release, Birth of Violence, steers her sound back toward pure folk, adding another enigmatic layer to her oeuvre. Although Chelsea Wolfe’s approaches are experimental, she deliberately ties together her work in rich textures and haunting melodies, diving into liminal depths and the ugliness of the world in order to bring forth beauty.
Just as the lauded DC Comics “Dark Nights: Death Metal” series isn’t the typical superhero storyline, this musical counterpart isn’t the typical superhero soundtrack. Acclaimed composer Bates here unites an array of artists across various genres — including IDLES, HEALTH, Wolfe, Grey Daze, Denzel Curry, and Manchester Orchestra — forming his own musical super crew to create a first-of-its-kind companion piece of original music, which adds a further dimension to the acclaimed series from Greg Capullo and Scott Snyder through a multimedia experience including custom limited edition comics, videos, and more.
All artists involved took a hands-on approach with Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack, contributing songs — and in the case of a few, collaborating for the first time — inspired by the text that depicts a hellish Earth twisted beyond recognition, wherein the Justice League is at the mercy of the Dark Multiverse and a diabolical Batman Who Laughs.