Release Date: October 24th 2025. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Create Or Die - Tracklisting
1.Anhedonia 04:54
2.New Terms 04:26
3.Carolina Fox
4.Never Said Goodbye
5.Hopeful Defiance
6.Us or Them 06:00
7.Cold or Wrong
8.Lost Souls Fly
9.Bury Me in Texas
10.Noble Man
Members
WINO - Everything
Review
Create Or Die is the latest solo album from the legendary WINO which follows a different path compared to his acclaimed 2020 solo record Forever Gone. Truth be told, this record has more in common with the iconic THE OBSESSED as it has a similar style and structure where the heavy grooves appear. This is perhaps a bit more stripped back with WINO adapting a style of Classic Rock, Folk, Americana and Southern Rock but with his OUTLAW persona helping the hard-hitting lyrics that dominate the musical landscape.
There’s a sense of reflection and achievement that WINO has accomplished that comes brilliantly well on the opening tracks of Anhedonia and New Terms. Two songs that have a different contrast to each other with Anhedonia being a straight up Stoner Rock banger and New Terms being a semi-acoustic Americana/Country Rock driven number. Both tracks show WINO’s new found creative resilience of writing haunting melodies and emotionally charged lyrics to match. WINO’s vocals are as commanding as ever which perhaps sees the legendary musician in the best creative form of his lengthy career.
The instrumental performances that WINO surrounds the listener with are beautifully profound and deeply moving whilst moving onto different areas of music that we haven’t heard from the great man before especially on Never Said Goodbye which has strands of Post-Rock energy at times. Other tracks such as Carolina Fox and Hopeful Defiance where THE OBSESSED and SPIRIT CARAVAN vibes can be heard in the background.
There’s a ROOTS DRIVEN and BLUES ROCK energy starting to emerge which adds a gritty atmosphere to this record. This musical element is one of the standout parts of the record with WINO adding an organic and real life energy into the mix.
The second half of the album allows WINO the perfect opportunity to explore his own legacy, career and personal experiences which resonates with many of us as the record has a “TRUE LIFE” experience though told through the power of DOOM and STONER ROCK on the other standout tracks that appear on the album with Us Or Them, Cold Or Wrong, Bury Me In Texas and Noble Man.
Create Or Die is perhaps WINO’s finest solo record to date as it delivers everything you would expect from a true icon of the DOOM METAL scene.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.
Create Or Die Transcend is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.
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