10197 - WINDHAND - GRIEF'S INFERNAL FLOWER (2015)
WINDHAND
''GRIEF'S INFERNAL FLOWER''
SEPTEMBER 18 2015
71:12
1 Two Urns 08:11
2 Forest Clouds 09:11
3 Crypt Key 05:39
4 Tanngrisnir 05:36
5 Sparrow 04:46
6 Hyperion 05:29
7 Hesperus 14:26
8 Kingfisher 14:19
9 Aition 03:32
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ABOUT THE ALBUM
store.relapse.com
WINDHAND's third full length, Grief's Infernal Flower is doom metal's most anticipated album of 2015. Produced by Jack Endino (Nirvana, High On Fire, Soundgarden, etc) Grief's Infernal Flower is simultaneously massive, heavy and personal. Front-woman Dorthia Cottrell firmly establishes herself as one of the best vocalists of the genre by perfectly balancing beauty with enormous power. The twin guitars of Garrett Morris and Asechiah Bogdan weave together 9 songs worth of perfect riffs and fuzzed out bliss with the colossal rhythm section of bassist Parker Chandler and drummer Ryan Wolfe. While the first two WINDHAND albums were underground classics, with Grief's Infernal Flower WINDHAND have cemented themselves as one of the premier bands of our time.
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REVIEW/AMG
Thom Jurek
2015 is the year doom broke. Albums by Pallbearer, YOB, Bell Witch, and Electric Wizard have garnered exceptional attention for a metal subgenre that's been around...well, forever. Richmond, Virginia's loud-and-proud Windhand, signed with Relapse after Soma, their grimy sophomore album, received rave reviews and made a slew of 2013 year-end lists. Expectations run high for Grief's Infernal Flower. Produced by Jack Endino (Nirvana's Bleach and Soundgarden's Screaming Life), the sound on most of this set is enormous. It may be just a tad less gritty, and the songs are (a bit) tighter and shorter -- there are no half-hour marathons. There is a more expansive sonic approach to the songwriting and vocal production on this date. Vocalist Dorthia Cottrell's commanding presence bends the riff-o-sonic wall of sludge to her will and reveals more subtle post-psych melodies and actual hooks that lurk within them -- check the stellar "Two Urns" and "Crypt Key." Parker Chandler's uber-low, mega-fuzzed bass throb and Ryan Wolfe's drumming govern the instrumental attack, leaving ample opportunity for guitarists Asechiah Bogdan and Garrett Morris to focus on plodding power riffs and spiral around one another in solos on the epic-length tracks. On the blistering "Forest Clouds," Cottrell rides every circular vamp, rising with more power until it all collapses around her. Windhand attempt a wall-plastering psych-blues groove and syncopation simultaneously on "Tanngrisnir." They only partially succeed but they earn points for the attempt. Cottrell has two solo vocal and acoustic guitar numbers here, "Sparrow" and closer "Aition," which stand with Grief's Infernal Flower's best moments even if they seem like outliers. She released a killer self-titled solo album earlier in 2015; these tracks -- equal parts Townes Van Zandt, Conny Ochs, Steve Von Till, and Jeffrey Lee Pierce -- could have come from those sessions. "Hesperus" is the first of two back-to-back 14-minute jams. Despite its glacial-paced riffing, it eventually erupts in a blackout squall of guitar distortion and dissolute drumming. "Kingfisher" begins more abstractly before the doomy stoner vibe grabs center stage, one Sabbath-esque riff at a time. Cottrell is at her most physical here, using her low range to carve a pronounced melody from the guitar-and-bass attack. It's just as menacing but more alluring, which makes the whole thing more sinister. Grief's Infernal Flower is almost doom-by-the-numbers (which should reassure fans), but Endino's production, Cottrell's vocal confidence and lyricism, and the band's willingness to push its grooves into the red provide an admirable next step.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Gregory Heaney
Purveyors of doom reminiscent of greats like Electric Wizard, Richmond, Virginia's Windhand were formed in 2009 by members Aschiah Bogdan, Parker Chandler, Dorthia Cottrell, Garrett Morris, and Ryan Wolfe. Blending shuddering low-end fuzz and pounding rhythms with Cottrell's ethereal vocals, the band recalls the sound of classic doom while adding a new dimension to one of metal's heaviest subgenres. In March of 2012, Windhand released their self-titled debut, eventually gaining the attention of Relapse Records. The label signed the band in 2013, and in the spring released Reflection of the Negative, a split recording with fellow Virginia doom sludgers Cough. It was followed in September by group's second album, Soma.
Through the rest of that year and most of 2014, Windhand toured relentlessly, playing both support and headlining tours across North America, Europe, and Australia. On Halloween, they issued a split single alongside Swedish doom metal band Salem's Pot on Riding Easy Records. In March of 2015, Cottrell issued her mostly acoustic, self-titled solo album of what can only be called "doom Americana." Then Windhand entered Seattle's Soundhouse Studio with producer/engineer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, High On Fire) that spring to record their third full-length. Grief's Infernal Flower was released by Relapse in September.
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''GRIEF'S INFERNAL FLOWER''
SEPTEMBER 18 2015
71:12
1 Two Urns 08:11
2 Forest Clouds 09:11
3 Crypt Key 05:39
4 Tanngrisnir 05:36
5 Sparrow 04:46
6 Hyperion 05:29
7 Hesperus 14:26
8 Kingfisher 14:19
9 Aition 03:32
**********
ABOUT THE ALBUM
store.relapse.com
WINDHAND's third full length, Grief's Infernal Flower is doom metal's most anticipated album of 2015. Produced by Jack Endino (Nirvana, High On Fire, Soundgarden, etc) Grief's Infernal Flower is simultaneously massive, heavy and personal. Front-woman Dorthia Cottrell firmly establishes herself as one of the best vocalists of the genre by perfectly balancing beauty with enormous power. The twin guitars of Garrett Morris and Asechiah Bogdan weave together 9 songs worth of perfect riffs and fuzzed out bliss with the colossal rhythm section of bassist Parker Chandler and drummer Ryan Wolfe. While the first two WINDHAND albums were underground classics, with Grief's Infernal Flower WINDHAND have cemented themselves as one of the premier bands of our time.
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Thom Jurek
2015 is the year doom broke. Albums by Pallbearer, YOB, Bell Witch, and Electric Wizard have garnered exceptional attention for a metal subgenre that's been around...well, forever. Richmond, Virginia's loud-and-proud Windhand, signed with Relapse after Soma, their grimy sophomore album, received rave reviews and made a slew of 2013 year-end lists. Expectations run high for Grief's Infernal Flower. Produced by Jack Endino (Nirvana's Bleach and Soundgarden's Screaming Life), the sound on most of this set is enormous. It may be just a tad less gritty, and the songs are (a bit) tighter and shorter -- there are no half-hour marathons. There is a more expansive sonic approach to the songwriting and vocal production on this date. Vocalist Dorthia Cottrell's commanding presence bends the riff-o-sonic wall of sludge to her will and reveals more subtle post-psych melodies and actual hooks that lurk within them -- check the stellar "Two Urns" and "Crypt Key." Parker Chandler's uber-low, mega-fuzzed bass throb and Ryan Wolfe's drumming govern the instrumental attack, leaving ample opportunity for guitarists Asechiah Bogdan and Garrett Morris to focus on plodding power riffs and spiral around one another in solos on the epic-length tracks. On the blistering "Forest Clouds," Cottrell rides every circular vamp, rising with more power until it all collapses around her. Windhand attempt a wall-plastering psych-blues groove and syncopation simultaneously on "Tanngrisnir." They only partially succeed but they earn points for the attempt. Cottrell has two solo vocal and acoustic guitar numbers here, "Sparrow" and closer "Aition," which stand with Grief's Infernal Flower's best moments even if they seem like outliers. She released a killer self-titled solo album earlier in 2015; these tracks -- equal parts Townes Van Zandt, Conny Ochs, Steve Von Till, and Jeffrey Lee Pierce -- could have come from those sessions. "Hesperus" is the first of two back-to-back 14-minute jams. Despite its glacial-paced riffing, it eventually erupts in a blackout squall of guitar distortion and dissolute drumming. "Kingfisher" begins more abstractly before the doomy stoner vibe grabs center stage, one Sabbath-esque riff at a time. Cottrell is at her most physical here, using her low range to carve a pronounced melody from the guitar-and-bass attack. It's just as menacing but more alluring, which makes the whole thing more sinister. Grief's Infernal Flower is almost doom-by-the-numbers (which should reassure fans), but Endino's production, Cottrell's vocal confidence and lyricism, and the band's willingness to push its grooves into the red provide an admirable next step.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Gregory Heaney
Purveyors of doom reminiscent of greats like Electric Wizard, Richmond, Virginia's Windhand were formed in 2009 by members Aschiah Bogdan, Parker Chandler, Dorthia Cottrell, Garrett Morris, and Ryan Wolfe. Blending shuddering low-end fuzz and pounding rhythms with Cottrell's ethereal vocals, the band recalls the sound of classic doom while adding a new dimension to one of metal's heaviest subgenres. In March of 2012, Windhand released their self-titled debut, eventually gaining the attention of Relapse Records. The label signed the band in 2013, and in the spring released Reflection of the Negative, a split recording with fellow Virginia doom sludgers Cough. It was followed in September by group's second album, Soma.
Through the rest of that year and most of 2014, Windhand toured relentlessly, playing both support and headlining tours across North America, Europe, and Australia. On Halloween, they issued a split single alongside Swedish doom metal band Salem's Pot on Riding Easy Records. In March of 2015, Cottrell issued her mostly acoustic, self-titled solo album of what can only be called "doom Americana." Then Windhand entered Seattle's Soundhouse Studio with producer/engineer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, High On Fire) that spring to record their third full-length. Grief's Infernal Flower was released by Relapse in September.
**********
TO THE TOP
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