Review: Windhand – Eternal Return

WINDHAND – ETERNAL RETURN (LP, 2018)

Grunge/Psych onslaught for Virginia quartet.

7/10

Transmitters of doom Windhand return with their fourth album and a change of direction. Songs ‘Grey Garden’ and ‘Diablerie’ show the band’s artistic growth and the contrast of their genre-bending, heavy sound. Both tracks have distant dreamy vocals, swirling guitars and slow painful lyrics reminiscent of Kurt Cobain’s more tender tracks. The whole album definitely has a strong grunge influence. Since forming in 2009 with members Parker Chandler, Dorthia Cottrell, Ryan Wolfe, Asechiah Bogdan and Garrett Morris, the low fuzz group have toured relentlessly and recorded with producer Jack Endino (Nirvana/ Soundgarden) who also produces this record. They released the 5 track EP ‘Split’ earlier in 2018 which had a far doomier Black Sabbath Feel. Now this nine track album of just over an hour of atmospheric and penetrating music shows the band’s more reflective side. For fans of Electric Wizard, Weedeater and Royal Thunder.

A chrysalis moment that takes them to new and unforeseen heights. Across nine songs and 63 minute LP, Eternal Return is an infectious display of songcraft cloaked in alluring atmosphere, molten fuzz, eerie psychedelia and ethereal vocals. The album features vivid artwork by Arik Roper (Sleep, High on Fire). Equally informed by heavy, fuzzed-out psych along with the iconic grunge / alternative groups of the 90s, Windhand have crafted a record brilliant in scope, powerful in execution, and perfect for an era of increasingly blurry yet still heavy borders.

Virginia’s Windhand announced a US headlining tour throughout January 2019 with label-mates Genocide Pact. The brief tour began on January 24th in Washington D.C. and ended on January 31 in Charlotte, NC.

Stream Windhand’s track “Diablerie” now on all streaming services HERE. Embodying the album’s more reflective side, “Diablerie” fully captures the band’s artistic growth and the juxtaposition of genre-bending, heavy psychedelia that’s apparent throughout Eternal Return.

Additionally, watch WINDHAND‘s previously released “Grey Garden” video.