Of Wounds.

Dewsbury’s Of Wounds. released a self-titled EP in April this year. And despite purporting to be a variant of black metal of sorts, this has more in common with Yawning Man or recent Earth than it does anything metal. The rhythms certainly have a swing to them that is more in line with loose, groovy stoner rock then anything as tight and rigid as a typical metal beat. The guitars as well, have a clean twang to them that gives this a mellow, introspective vibe. This – combined with the near constant crash symbols – invoke the feeling of standing in a waterfall.

Alex’s vocals are more along the lines of death metal, but somehow manage to fit with the music when all good sense tells me they should be overpowering this delicately poised music. It grants the relatively gentle arpeggios a sense of jeopardy that is missing from many contemporaries aiming for a similarly organic sound. And it’s not just the vocals that elevate this above similar offerings; the near constant energy of arpeggios drive this music forward with purpose. This is more than a mere set of pleasing invocations to nature. There is logic and structure beneath these compositions.

Aesthetically, it makes for an odd listen. It is at once overbearing, energetic, and busy, and yet it is music one can easily drift off to, with a unique atmosphere all of its own. I’d liken it to Enya stepping on a piece of lego. It captures the sound and fury of what this may sound like, but it’s still Enya, so I imagine the rage would be channelled through an ethereal veil of otherworldly sonic meditations. This is the sound that Of Wounds. have somehow managed to approximate. As ridiculous as this analogy sounds, this is a curious little release that offers much potential, and if greater mastery of dynamic contrast was put to work it could see Of Wounds. become one of the better not-quite-metal outliers of our times.

Originally published at Hate Meditations