Album & EP Reviews

WyndRider – Revival

WyndRider – Revival
Electric Valley Records
Release Date: 07/06/2024
Running Time: 42:25
Review by Gaz Bates
6/10


Another Commute, another dreary day and another album to listen to. This time it is the second album of Tennessean Stoner Doom outfit WYNDRIDER. If you have read my reviews before or know me personally you will know that Stoner/Doom/Sludge etc, is my ear candy of choice. Stoner Doom is always a genre I seek out, usually thick and fuzzy with riffs that echo back to the first 4 Sabbath albums. It is a broad spectrum, from bands like Weedeater to Acid King, Sleep to The Sword, all have their own styles but still meld together in their love of Fuzz and heavy groovy riffs. What kind of Stoner Doom was I in for this time?

WYNDRIDER’s ‘Revival’ album is definitely more towards the southern groove side of Stoner Doom, the guitars, Fuzzy, slow and thick, played at a tempo that is made to get your head moving. Songs like ‘Forked Tongue Revival’ and ‘Motorcycle Witches’ are a great example of this, southern groove with a hint of blues soaked in fuzz with the consistency of thick treacle. Throughout the album there are tracks that are more traditional doom, with vibes of Saint Vitus and Pentagram oozing through the speakers. ‘Judas’ is a great example of this, sinister sounding and almost hypnotic. The albums stand out track for me was ‘Devil’s Den’, a huge riff and a tempo changer with some great guitar work throughout, the track sounds so big in fact that it makes the next track a little lacklustre. ‘Remember The Sabbath’ is a slow creeping Doom number and the best vocal performance on the album in my humble opinion, the Chorus should be crushingly heavy but fails to reach the level it should. I have a feeling that live this song will really be something, but recorded it falls short of what it could be, which is not a reflection on the band. The songwriting is there, but some songs are meant to be played live and loud, this is certainly one of them. Closing out this album we have ‘Under The Influence’ and ‘The Wheel’, the former calling back to that Stoner Doom vibe and has a gritty bass intro, the latter going back the classic doom feel, another song that i feel will be ungodly heavy when played live.

Overall what WYNDRIDER have done is make a solid Stoner Doom album, some cool riffs played with that signature southern groove that the genre knows so well. Some solid Guitar work and the Bass holds things together, the Drums have a Bill Ward swing that I love. The Vocals sound great albeit a little FX driven, not every word was indistinguishable for me apart from on ‘Remember The Sabbath’. If you do not agree that is fine, but I would urge you to go and listen to their 2023 release, in particular the song ‘Pit Witch’. The vocals on that release sound better to me, oozing with style and attitude. Now I know it sounds like I am being negative and putting this album down, I am not, I think this is a great album, worthy of a listen by anyone that loves this genre. I can say one thing for certain though, and that is that this band is one that should be heard live! Like I said earlier, I think it will be louder, groovier and heavier on a stage.  So go check out their tour dates in the US and let me know!

TRACKLISTING:

01. Forked Tongue Revival
02. Motorcycle Witches
03. Judas
04. Devil’s Den
05. Remember The Sabbath
06. Under The Influence
07. The Wheel

LINE-UP:

Robbie Willis – Guitar
Chloe Gould – Vocals
Joshuwah Herald – Bass
Josh Brock – Drums

LINKS:

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