By Rob Thompson
The first self-titled Windhand album released by Force Field was one of my stand-out records of 2012 and after being poached by Relapse Records the group have now expanded their sound to truly epic proportions. Windhand's first release on their new label was a monumental split Reflections of the Negative with fellow Relapse artists Cough. This prophetically paved the way of things to come so on Soma what we have in basic terms is a very loud, very demanding and transcendent classic. Here we see a band focusing in on what they’re good at and not trying to add post-metal, post-rock or progressive influences at this stage of their career. This decision will no doubt keep the fans happy with pure, unadulterated brooding doom. The doom even permeates to the gloomy art work on the cover: a grey abandoned cabin set alone in the woods.
Throughout the album Windhand take a long time to do well, not very much really. The colossal down-tuned and overdriven twin guitars deliver catchy riffs which slowly reveal themselves in surges interrupted only by the cataclysmic solos. The guitars are grounded by a relentless rhythm section which incessantly enhances the peaks and troughs of the songs stressing every tone and gradation. And overlaid on top of this all is the beautifully melancholy voice of Dorthia Cottrell.
The first few tracks on the album ‘Orchard’, ‘Woodbine’ and ‘Feral Bones’ are the epitome of what Windhand are all about. While the huge menacing riffs plod at a sloths pace and definitely batter the listener into submission what’s unusual about these tracks are that they are full of hooks (of a sort). By hooks I don’t mean that they’re pop songs, rather they are catchy, in a strange sort of way. The guitars manage to remain well defined yet hazy and the lead guitars are compelling. It’s kind of like a remodelled but heavier version of Black Sabbath.
Next (somewhat surprisingly) we have an acoustic track, ‘Evergreen’ where Windhand unplug and play a deep and at times almost folky track. You’ll not find effects pedals and distortion here. While this is radically different to everything else that’s gone before its inclusion jigsaws nicely into the overall vibe that the band is striving for. This is followed by ‘Cassock’: a 14 minute bone crunching wall of tragedy before the album concludes with a 31 minute epic, ‘Boleskin’ (yes, that’s not a typo – it really is a track which lasts over half an hour). This chilling tune commences with a viscous acoustic section before the minimalist slab of heaviness crashes in. Around half way through this behemoth the pure acoustic guitar reappears prior to the destructive riffs emerging once again. Feedback is used to enhance the atmosphere as the riffs intertwine upon one another.
So in summary, Soma is one of my top three releases of 2013 so far. While Windhand's debut album had a greater sense of pace and variation although Soma is much more monotonous I loved the evil, massive sound which the band can more than adequately handle. Whether or not the sound is too impenetrable for this to be a breakthrough release remains to be seen. I fear this may be just too heavy for people with a passing interest in doom metal: the crunching uber-slow riffs and the crawling tempo is only for the true fan but this is what Windhand is all about. The lack of speed and extended duration of each track means that you are drawn in and soon become lost.
Now that the band is on a higher profile label their reach will be much wider and the audience broader. These factors will hopefully allow Windhand to bludgeon the eardrums of many more doomsters across the globe and push them through to the next level.
