Written almost exclusively in a windowless, black room over the long, dark nights of winter 2005, Diadem of 12 Stars was the first official Wolves In The Throne Room release. 
Re-imagining black metal as an ode to rain storms, wood smoke and the wild energies of the Pacific Northwest, Wolves In The Throne Room craft a unique melancholic atmosphere. Diadem of 12 Stars is about lunar sorcery on Cascadian mountaintops and encounters with wild spirits. In contrast to the icy, razor sharp soundscapes of their ’90s Norwegian forebears, Diadem of 12 Stars is lush and ethereal, dripping with rain-soaked moss and lichen. 
In 2006, all but a few self-defined black metal acts avoided performing live. In contrast, Wolves In The Throne Room honed the material for Diadem of 12 Stars by touring across the country’s basements and squats. It’s raw analog sound, paying homage to the band’s varied influences—the harsh black metal of Norwegians Ulver and Emperor, and their American counterparts Weakling and Ludicra; the monolithic heaviness of Neurosis and Swans; the sorrowful funeral doom of My Dying Bride; the mournful goth of Dead Can Dance—yet it distills these inspirations to create a sound entirely their own. 
Described by guitarist Nathan Weaver as “the most raw and punk” of their five full-length releases, Diadem of 12 Stars was recorded live to tape in Oakland by Tim Green. The band was joined in the studio by Jamie Myers (Hammers of Misfortune / Sabbath Assembly) and Dino Sommese (Asunder / Dystopia); every song was rendered in one or two takes and mixed without the aid of a computer. Originally released on a small DIY label and unavail- able physically for many years, the album has been carefully re-mastered by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering Service. The band re-developed every photograph from the original negatives, creating richer, high quality prints in order to present the artwork as originally envisioned.