Thursday 12 June 2014

WO FAT - The Conjuring - Album Review

 The Conjuring cover art

Wo Fat
The Conjuring

Small Stone
17 June 2014

The band:

Kent Stump - vocals & guitar
Tim Wilson - bass guitar
Michael Walter - drums

The songs:

1. The Conjuring
2. Read The Omens
3. Pale Rider From The Ice
4. Beggar's Bargain
5. Dreamwalker

It seems I have had to own up to a lot lately, missing out on bands left, right and centre and Wo Fat from Dallas, TX continues this brain freeze mode I'm in. Have heard about them for years but for some stupid reason I have never paid attention to them. Well, I'm the one who's lost out but that is remedied now with the release of their fifth album, "The Conjuring".

The musical concoction they brew has equal parts heavy power blues, psychedelica, doom and stoner with a pinch of excellent jamming. And man it is an amazing drink they offer and like Sæhrímnir, the pig Æsir and einherjar slaughtered every night and feasted on only to come back to life the very next day, "The Conjuring" comes back by each spin, growing into a delicious drink that I can't stop guzzling down.

Starting of with the title track which largely instrumental and full of long awesome solos. The band is going full tilt with the jamming but they also manage to be heavy as hell as well. How they pull it off I don't know but holy shit it's good! "Read The Omens" follows and is a neckbreaker if there ever was one. Can only imagine the craziness this one conjurs in the live setting. It's a beast you hear?! Bringing down the tempo a notch or two "Pale Rider From The Ice" crushes to put it mildly. Slow and knuckle dragging it's a perfect mix of blues and doom.

Groovy, fuzzed out and full of distortion "Beggar's Bargain" snakes it's way through my brain with riffs of gigantic proportions. This is the type of song that envelopes you completely only to crush you and bringing enlightenment of other-wordly dimensions. Amazing stuff people! Ending the album on an epic scale with "Dreamwalker". Clocking in at just over 17 minutes the first 6 minutes are trippy and psychedelic before shifting over to heavy power blues. These Texans are punishing in such a great way which is no more apparent on this long song. There's never a dull moment as they make everything count while simply blowing me to kingdom come!

If you, like me, have never listened to Wo Fat before "The Conjuring" is a great place to start. Obvioulsy, I don't know what their previous albums sounds like so I can't recommend them per se, but judging by this release checking those waxes out will be a treat beyond words. In the mean time I will let "The Conjuring" work it's magic on me. Hell fucking yeah!

Håkan Nyman

The Conjuring will be available to buy from Small Stone Recordings on CD/DD/Vinyl from June 17th 2014.

Check The Band From Links Below