Sunday 11 June 2017

Grey Widow - II (Album Review)


Release date: March 31st 2017. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

II – Tracklisting

1.XI 11:11
2.XII 08:21
3.XIII 09:28
4.XIV 07:23

Review

Grey Widow return with their Blackened Sludge fused take on Doom Metal. Produced by Chris Fielding of CONAN fame, this album sees the band create a bleaker and more miserable experience than their debut album. Full of heavy filthy sounds with a slight industrial feel, Grey Widow leave no stone unturned in projecting a wall of misery for people to survive from.

The album contains 4 tracks and they all follow the same template of heavy distorted sounds that walk a thin line between light and darkness. The songs are played at a slow pace and that allows Grey Widow to firmly remain in the darkness whilst they create pitch black doomy atmospherics. The vocals are punishing to hear at times especially on the excellent opening track – XI.

Grey Widow are a band who have a “TAKE NO PRISONERS” approach. This is music for people who like their riffs – dark, depressing and noisy as hell. The album may sound like it has a simple approach but hidden under all the twisted noise rock/metal sounds, Grey Widow have written some uncompromising lyrics to match the bleak cluster-fuck currently going on around you.

The band do manage to add elements of Stoner Metal on tracks such as XIII. It maybe hard to find as it's buried under a ton of blackened sludge metal riffs that even sees Grey Widow venture into the realm of Black Metal. Grey Widow are maybe trying to hard at times to bring back their earlier Stoner Metal riffs and merging it with a more nightmarish sound. Though when it does work, the results are undeniably brave and addictive at the same time.

With Chris Fielding behind the production, you know the album sounds fantastic from the start. Though this is Grey Widow's show and they have created a heavy and bleak monolithic experience that ultimately demands your full attention. Not for the faint-hearted. Listen to this album if you're feeling brave enough.....

Words by Steve Howe

Links: