Since her emergence in 2010, Chelsea Wolfe has fearlessly addressed the mysterious aspects of life within her music. Preeminently known for her haunting, heavy ballads and metallic-lined tangents (not to mention her ultra wicked style), the Sacramento-born artist has landed herself dead in the epicenter of the modern dark wave movement.

With the magnetic allure of a siren, Wolfe has attracted a collective of neo-folk musicians to wade neck-deep in the waters of her darkly illuminated brilliance. After putting to rest revolving-door band members, Wolfe struck gold with the perfect ensemble. Violist Ezra Buchla and guitarist Mike Sullivan of Russian Circles melded minds alongside producer John Congleton, who’s worked with acts such as St. Vincent and Swans.

Wolfe’s fifth full-length release and considerably most devoted album, Abyss, is the perfect webbing of surreal, reverb-soaked doom metal laced elegantly with slowed down, molasses covered ballads.

Poignant and true to herself as ever, Wolfe has epitomized what it means to feel lost in the bizarre. Each subtly brutal song relays the sensation of falling backward through the deepest dimensions of your dreams with chills crippling your skin–which is nothing short of expected from the intrepid artist.

The collective continues to infect the music industry with their densely grim approach and indisputably unique aesthetic. Drawing inspiration from avant-garde designers like Alexander McQueen and Yohji Yamamoto, her infatuation between the dichotomies of unlikely beauty vs. vividly harsh reality resonates in her personal style and stage presence.

Fashion has always echoed Chelsea’s inspiration. Over the span of her career, Wolfe has also dipped toes in the fashion industry, making ripples as a model in the waters of Seattle-based clothing company Actual Pain, run and operated by close friend and collaborator T.J. Cowgill (more formally known as King Dude, an American-gothic folk artist). The two worked on two of Wolfe’s 7” splits, both of which sold out almost instantly.

After moving to the mountainous outskirts of Los Angeles last year, Wolfe finds herself ready to take on the next chapter of life in California, but first: a 50 date international tour. Rogue caught up with her right before she splits town to talk future collabs, fashion inspiration, and sleep paralysis. 

READ THE INTERVIEW AND SEE THE FULL PHOTOSET AT ROGUE MAGAZINE

Story by Courtney Melahn
Photography by Simia Rassouli
Styled by Lloyd Galbraith
Makeup by Alexa Hernandez