Windhand’s “Diablerie” — A Fuzzy Psych Anthem For The People

Windhand have been carving an interesting niche for themselves in the overrun department of doom. While everyone knows the cool thing to do these days is to get as baked as possible and lose oneself in the meandering world of Bongripper, Windhand take a more controlled approach to their craft that’s a breath of fresh, non-hotboxed air.

“Diablerie” is an infusion of some of the best ideas from all over the board: the slow drive of stoner rock with a heavy psychedelic headspace that also somehow screams ’90s grunge. The haunting vocals, clearly inspired by Alice In Chains, are what really drew me in, summoning the ear amongst the fuzz and churning psychedelia. It forgoes the cosmic tangents adopted by many similar bands in favor of actual songwriting — whoa! As much as I love blasting off to Ufomammut-ian sonic wastelands, it’s also nice to have something a bit more grounded to come back down to. Windhand’s cool, introspective style of doom lets the music speak for itself — no intergalactic fuckery required.

Eternal Return comes out on October 5th via Relapse Records; pre-order here.