Release
date: May 20th 2016 . Label: Ripple Music. Format:
CD/DD/Vinyl
Midnight
Cometh – Tracklisting
1.
There's Something Sinister in the Wind
2.
Riffborn
3.
Of Smoke and Fog
4.
Le Dilemme de Detenu
5..
Three Minutes to Midnight
6..
Nightcomer
Band
Members:
Kent
Stump - vocals & guitar
Tim
Wilson - bass guitar
Michael
Walter - drums
Review:
Swampedelic
Rockers – Wo Fat return with their sixth album – Midnight Cometh.
It sees Wo Fat return to their earlier blues rock based sounds though
the heavy doomy psych stoner metal vibes from past albums are still
present. With the guys now signed to Ripple Music from Small Stone
Records, it’s good to see they haven’t lost their appetite
for all things psychedelic.
Midnight
Cometh includes the Wo Fat trademark style of epic spaced out trippy
jams with doomy influences of things that go bump in the night.
Kent’s vocals are strong as ever as he is in his element here.
Along with the other members – Tim and Michael – Wo Fat never
out-stay their welcome as they show the world who are the masters of
Swampedelic Stoner Metal.
Opening
track – There’s Something Sinister In The Wind – has a familiar
sound and vibe from Wo Fat’s 4th album – The Black
Code. Though to keep things sounding fresh, the band have added
almost psychedelic tribal noises to give this album quite a creepy
feel. The epic jams soon come into play with great work from Michael
on Drums and Tim on Bass Guitar respectively. If you’re here
primarily for Wo Fat’s trademark epic jams then you’re in luck as
the band play impressive epic jams for the final four minutes or so.
Second
track – Riffborn – allows Wo Fat to indulge in more spaced out
jams. The doomy atmosphere is layered with a psych blues sounds that
is a stark contrast to the opening song.
Third
track – Of Smoke And Fog – sees Wo Fat creating heavier sounds
that are drenched in huge waves of psychedelic riffs and textures.
This is perhaps my fave song on the album as it has all the
trademarks for a classic Wo Fat song. Heavy spaced out riffs mixed
with the familiar swamp based sounds from this Texan power-trio. It’s
Tim and Michael who impress the most. They create stunning rhythms
for Kent to build his riffs upon. Quite a hard task especially when
this song runs past the eleven minute mark.
The
second half of the album is equally as good if not better than the
first half. Songs such as Three Minutes To Midnight and Necromancer
sees Wo Fat looking back at their own musical past and blending it
with the heavier sounds from their last two albums. Midnight Cometh
represents the past, present and future of this great band as they’ve
released another outstanding album of heavy swampedelic riffs for us
to worship for a long time.
Some
people may prefer their previous album – The Gathering and I will
admit the music is more assessable on that album. However, Midnight
Cometh has a doomier and slightly more gloomier approach to their
previous albums. The one thing you can’t deny is, this is
definitely the sound of Wo Fat and there isn’t a band quite like
them around at the moment. Midnight Cometh is perhaps their heaviest,
most far-out and doomiest album to date. Believe the hype, Wo Fat
have created a MONSTER.
Words
by Steve Howe
Thanks
to Richard at Sheltered Life PR for the promo. Midnight Cometh will
be available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music from May 20th
2016.
Links:
