windhand

Stream: Windhand - "Orchard"

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Windhand is an anomaly in the world of heavy music. They’re certainly not the only Sabbathy doom band out there, nor are they the only one with a female singer. But their songs have a certain quality, a complexity, that is often lacking among bands who strive to create the classic throwback doom sound.

Their riffs are big and slow, yet have a movement in them, a forward reaching, that gives the songs life. (Two guitars can do that.) Not just heavy for the sake of heavy, the songs actually let you dive into the heavy and swim around in there. From Richmond, Virginia, Windhand released their first full-length, self titled on Forcefield Records, in early 2012. It caught the ears of many people attracted to their occultish doom with hooks so big you could catch a whale.

Now, the band has released their second effort, this time on Relapse. It’s called Soma, and the single “Orchard” is now available for consumption. All we had before now was this trailer and the track “Woodbine”. They promised us it would be epic, clocking in at 75 minutes in only 6 tracks. And epic it is. Just listening to the opening fuzz of the 6-minute “Orchard” and knowing there’s 69 minutes more to come after that massive drum beat kicks in gives me chills.

Vanessa Salvia

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WINDHAND – 2013 TOUR DATES
9/5: The Side Bar – Baltimore, MD %
9/6: St. Vitus – Brooklyn, NY $$
9/7: Golden Tea House – Philadelphia, PA %
9/8: Belvidere’s – Pittsburgh, PA
9/9: Shrunken Head – Columbus, OH
9/10: The Melody Inn – Indianapolis, IN
9/11: The Cobra Lounge – Chicago, IL
9/12: The Cactus Club – Milwaukee, WI
9/15: Shooter’s – Billings, MT
9/16: VFW Hall – Missoula, MT
9/17: The Highline – Seattle, WA $
9/18: Ash St. Saloon – Portland, OR $
9/19: Monstros Pizza – Chico, CA *
9/20: The Hemlock – San Francisco, CA
9/21: The Stork Club – Oakland, CA
9/22: The Complex – Los Angeles, CA
9/23: Burt’s Tiki Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
9/24: 3 Kings Tavern – Denver, CO
9/25: The Bourbon Theatre – Lincoln, NB ^
9/26: The Record Bar – Kansas City, MO
9/27: Doublewide – Dallas, TX #
9/28: The Grotto – Ft. Worth, TX #
9/29: The Mohawk – Austin, TX
9/30: White Water Tavern – Little Rock, AR
10/1: The Owl Farm – Nashville, TN
10/2: The Hideaway – Johnson City, TN &
10/3: Strange Matter – Richmond, VA
4/12/14: Roadburn Festival – Tilburg, The Netherlands
$$ – w/ Ramming Speed, Golden Grass
% – w/ Ilsa
$ – w/ Bell Witch
* – w/ Amarok
^ – w/ Call of the Void
# – w/ Solomon & Pinkish Black
& – w/ Generation of Vipers

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