I've read other reviews of Dreadnought's upcoming release and they've described the album as more "direct". I don't know if I necessarily agree or, rather, if I think that's the main that should be highlighted. To be sure, Wars of Spirit // Wards of Light (from here on called Wars) is more direct in the sense that the more ethereal passages of previous Dreadnought releases are mostly gone. All tracks clock in under ten minutes and their structure is a bit more straight forward in how it balances the psychedelic, "lighter" elements of Dreadnought's sound and the more vociferous, black metal sound.
But there's a deeper transformation for the band's sound on Wars that I think merits focus and that's a sea change in the entire palette of Dreadnought on this release. On previous releases, all the way back to Bridging Realms, Dreadnought lived on a tight rope; the band were constantly balancing those two modes I referenced above. Emergence was perhaps the exception and therefore the album which sounds the most like Wars; like it, Emergence had a more rumbling, bass-forward sound and tended to "explode" less into that other, treble and tenor focused mode of Dreadnought. Wars is very much the same, more contemplative, "richer", less prone to far flung gestures, and more dedicated to a thicker, more present sort of approach.
Which is not to say it never explodes; it does. But check out the way in which it does, on opening track "Tiamat's Gate" five minute mark. In the past, this passage (the catharsis of the track) would have been accompanied by high-pitched screams, whirling float, and punctual piano. But here, the center of the weight is focused on a maelstrom like guitar riff, embellished by deep, sonorous riffs and, of course, Kelly Schilling's powerful vocals. But they are more of the "haggard" variety, with that unique timbre she has. And they trade places with a much deeper growl provided by Ryan Sims. The end result is a darker, more brooding sound. Yes, Schilling's familiar clean vocals come in later and yes, the track winds into a soaring peak. But then it's also immediately snatched into a gorgeous, muted passage punctuated by excellently restrained blast beats, darkly scintillating synths, and deep, subtle bass.
This new iteration on the sound continues through the release: the synths sound fuller but also more contemplative and atmospheric for example. You can hear that on "Aeonwar", where they basically good full darkwave in their sound (beautifully melded with Schilling's gothic style). Likewise the guitars continue to be denser and thicker than before, less worried about tracing every peak and crescendo and more focused on creating texture and weight to the sound. It's on full display for "Aeonwar", with one of my favorite riffs from the band's history doing wonders "beneath" the gossamer synths. It's Dreadnought, for sure, and it's made up of the elements which first caused me to fall in love with the band. But most importantly, it champions the quality which I love Dreadnought the most for: change. Wars of Spirit // Wards of Light is a further step in the band's career, deeper into the beating, shadowed heart of their sound.