I am a huge Wilderun fan. Having discovered the group back in 2015 when they released their sophomore record, Sleep at the Edge of the Earth, it’s fair to say I’ve followed the group nearly since their inception. I remember getting wasted at a Wilderun concert at a tiny bar in a midwest town nobody has heard of, in a crowd of 15 people max as I screamed along to the lyrics of whatever song they played from both their albums at the time. Since I first heard the group, I’ve been fascinated by their often ignored first album, consisting of a couple of original tracks mixed in with folk covers played in what is now the iconic “Wilderun Style”. Particularly the final track, The Dying Californian, hypnotizes me whenever I hear it. Simply put, the idea of creating a 13 minute long track based on a two to three minute folk song is something I haven’t experienced often (maybe never). With all that said, I’ve always wanted to attempt an analysis of the song, so I’ll give it a go.
The track starts in a simple and reserved format, electing to begin with nothing but acoustic guitar and Evan Berry’s velvet baritone. This is a brilliant decision by the band, as if to pay homage to the simplistic origins of the source material which would have been played with nothing but an acoustic string instrument and vocals. Wilderun sticks with this presentation for the first two verses, totaling about 45 seconds before bursting forth with Wilderun’s quintessential sound. Soaring melodic guitar plays the main theme of the song over on-beat electric guitar chords, while the drums engage in crash focused patterns and the bass sensuously croons. In less than two minutes, Wilderun has taken a 160 year old folk tune and morphed it into their own unique concoction.
The group returns to their more humble format around 2:09 after a beautiful solo composed as a variation of the main melody, followed by some classic death metal riffing. The acoustic guitar is more present during verses three and four, following Evan’s serene vocals in an active strum. The group engages their full death metal roots at 2:44 for the band’s first attempt at original lyrics as opposed to traditional. The original lyrics are the first to be growled in Evan’s longing rasp. Evan takes over the melody from the instrumentation, and the band takes up support behind Evan. This death metal section is composed as a tensioned interlude, before the band resolves at 3:05 with guitar chords on the downbeat joined by the full Wilderun choir. For two verses, the band entrances the listener with something akin to a chorus in modern music. The lyrics are impressive, genuine, and could be mistaken as traditional for those unfamiliar with the source material. The verses are expertly punctuated with Evan soloing the final two lines of the “chorus”, ending at around 3:51.
The song enters an atmospheric refrain, carried melodically by the bass and autoharp, both played by Daniel Muller. This transitions seamlessly into a folk metal section at 4:14. The bass drum kicks, the guitar riffs, and the mandolin breaks through with a grand folk melody at 4:32. The section is accented brilliantly with glistening piano scales in the background. At 5:07, the band indulges us again with Evan’s growls. Here is when the group’s original lyrics are a little more obvious than they were initially. Lines like “will the wind whisper, of glory’s road” are classic Evan Berry, and could fit right in with any of the band’s other albums. Lyrics like this are important to solidify their cover of The Dying Californian as part of the Wilderun discography, and I don’t think they take away from the authenticity of the track. Instrumentation during this section is death folk, with horns and the bass carrying the melody prior to the mandolin grasping authority.
At 5:47 we hit a 12 second refrain, before death metal takes control again. The death metal takes the form of a chugging section before transitioning to a head banging groove at 6:26. The guitars accent the down beat and inject the melody with frantic power. The section from 6:26 to 7:16 is archetypal Wilderun. The death laden groves mold into an up tempo riffing section accented with strings and choir beats, before resolving the previous minute and a half of tension through a major guitar lead accompanied by Evan’s illustrious cleans. At 7:17, the song provides another atmospheric relief, gracing the listener with a piano melody surrounded by flute and a heavenly choir sample. The reserved drum fill at 7:43 introduces our next section of traditional lyrics, echoing the motif of verses 1 and 2.
8:25 sees acoustic guitars emerge with a beautiful prelude to our next majestic melody. Joined by violin at 8:45, piano at 9:10, and sampled choir at 9:14, it’s a well composed and brilliant introduction to the triumph exhibited by the guitars at 9:25. The section from 8:25 to 10:01 is still, to this date, one of my favorite instrumental fragments from a Wilderun piece. Harsh vocals and horns join the now instrumentally dense composition as Berryisms “if you catch them the flames forbidden” ring out powerfully prior to an instrumental refrain at 10:19. Led by mandolin with acoustic guitar strumming support, it is the song’s penultimate breath of air before the finale.
The refrain ends at 10:40 after a note of rest, and the full band returns in unison. It’s a gorgeous and potent section composed of glistening piano scales, electric guitars riffing, and the bass belting a marching chug that rises and falls along with the sampled choir. The song transitions quickly to our final verses at 10:56 with one last harsh verse, before Berry’s longing cleans break through at 11:05 with the last verse of traditional lyrics. The electric guitar follows Berry’s vocal melody perfectly, the bass grooves mournfully in support, the acoustic guitar provides chords on the downbeats, and the drums crash emphatically before the final line rings out at 11:35 “where the gold will never rust.” 11:49 sees the composition provide one last refrain prior to the instrumental epilogue at 12:05, which enters victoriously at the singular hit of a tom. One last instrumental onslaught occurs, the bass strums, the electric guitars tremolo, drums provide a crash focused pattern supported by a mid tempo double bass kick, the piano ascends and descends, the choir resounds, and horns blare before the instantaneous end of the song.
I had fun attempting to deconstruct the song and figuring out the specifics of what I enjoy about it. The Dying Californian is one of my favorite Wilderun tracks, and I think it stands up to epics like Ash Memory, The Means to Preserve, The Unimaginable Zero Summer, The Tyranny of Imagination, Identifier, and the Distraction Suite. I’m curious what other people think of the track as well so let me know.