Windhand
ETERNAL RETURN
RELAPSE GRUNGE-LADEN VIRGINIA DOOM CREW KEEP SEARCHING FOR THEIR ESSENCE
FROM ALICE IN
Chains’ narcotic Sabbathisms to Soundgarden’s Iommic amplifier abuse courtesy of guitarist Kim Thayil, not to mention Nirvana’s early Melvins obsession on Bleach, grunge unquestionably had deep-rooted foundations in doom/sludge metal. It’s therefore no surprise to see contemporary metal artists who would have grown up on alternative rock now integrating the gloomy riffs and bleak vocal melodies and lyrical themes of the 1990s Seattle scene into their music. In 2018 so far, sludge titans Thou – who’ve previously recorded some awesome Nirvana covers – released a fascinating grunge-centric EP of original material. And now we have Windhand’s latest album, which ramps up the plaid-clad influences more so than on any of their previous doom metal releases. Without question, Dorthia Cottrell remains the four-piece’s dynamo. The vocalist, who also performs as a singersongwriter, has a keen ear for a haunting melody and the world-troubled timbre of her expressive voice brings the gravitas of prime grunge to the languorous grooves and fuzzed-out guitars of Eternal Return. She seeps right into your bones during Grey Garden’s chilling choruses and the Electric Wizard-worthy lurches of First To Die. But despite writing their finest album yet, Windhand still fail to reduce some songs to their most vital arrangements. The same issue severely impacted 2015’s Grief’s Infernal Flower, making it a rather tedious slog. Unfortunately, the instrumental sections of the longer tracks can ramble on, the guitars unnecessarily loping around the same lead-heavy doom refrains. A ruthless editor could have chopped off the dead weight and we would’ve been left with something really special. So until Windhand get the right producer to help hone their material to its most essential elements, they will always be a particularly good band instead of the significant group they have the potential to become.
FOR FANS OF: ELECTRIC WIZARD, KING WOMAN, TRUE WIDOW
DEAN BROWN