Release Date: 11th January 2019
Label: Undergroove
Genre: Stoner / Doom Rock
A slow and slightly unnerving opening minute greets the listener at the start of Woven Man‘s debut mini-album Revelry (In Our Arms), a minute that belies what lives behind it in such a way it is practically from another album altogether.
With just five tracks clocking up over 35 minutes, the Carmarthenshire quintet aren’t fucking about. Not that that is a surprise when you consider Lee Roy Davies (Lifer, Acrimony) is the brains behind this new outfit. Opening track ‘Calling Down The Leaves’ eventually opens the monster EP after that soft intro and the intense riff that adjourns the quiet is nothing short of spectacular. Lee Roy had this to say: “Opening track ‘Calling Down The Leaves’ is a nod to old Acrimony song ‘Leaves Of Mellow Grace’. It’s also a nod to a village where some of us live and are from called Tirydail, which translates from Welsh as ‘ land of leaves’. The old Acrimony song was about smoking weed at Tiydail, ‘Calling…’ is the follow on from that track, drawing strength from our home village.”
If that’s the effect the village has then it should probably be some sort of alternative tourist attraction.
Revelry (In Our Arms) is an EP that I went in to with little to no expectations or preconceptions and has grown and grown on me with each listen. The way ‘With Willow’ announces itself as the mid-point with such nonchalance is quite frankly ridiculous. This whole musical event is the amalgamation of so many styles. You can hear a bit of Hawkwind in the opener, Pantera throughout and even bands like Clutch in some areas. It’s a masterclass of music with the only downfall of it, despite the running length, still feeling too short.
The final track sums up the EP perfectly. Over seven minutes long, opens in a completely different manner to the rest of the track and fucking kicks ass. It’s not often I listen to a seven-minute song and want it to have been longer, but ‘Of Sky And Land’ does just that. The undulations, the contrasting elements and the pure cohesion make the song and EP as a whole compulsive listening and a bloody great start to 2019. Get it in your ears!
Rating: 8/10
Recommended Tracks: ‘Of Sky And Land’
You can order the album here: undergroove.bigcartel.com/
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