There have been a few bands that have helped define what doom metal is as a genre for their generation (pioneers like Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus and Pentagram, or more recently, Sleep and Electric Wizard). For this moment, Windhand are one of those bands. Dorthia Cottrell's haunting vocals carry the band to new heights with each successive melody, and the rest of the group plough through with layered riffing and rhythmic playing.
Speaking with guitarist Asechiah Bogdan about the band's newly released third album, Grief's Infernal Flower, he tells Exclaim! "I try not to get swept up in the hype, because a lot of that is not really our language. We've always been excited about the music we've made. Things seem a little more amplified this time around, but I wouldn't say we are intimidated by it at all. People will have their opinions regardless of what we do."
The attention isn't from a radical sonic reinvention but from a little external guidance in the form of producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden).
"I feel like this record might have been a little more stripped-down than the previous ones," Bogdan says. "We've done all the previous recording in our practice space, so it was intimate, but pretty taxing because the other guitar player, Garrett [Morris], was also handing all the recording. I think this go-around for him personally was definitely a little more laid-back. We got to work with Jack Endino, who is someone we all admire. It was a great experience; he was very laid back, and it was everything we expected. He had great input, but was very relaxed and professional as well. It was awesome."
While music remains largely collaborative, singer Cottrell remains the primary lyrical driver.
"A lot of times I don't really know what the lyrics are until we are in the studio and I hear her singing — overall, I think there is life and death as a theme, sort of a circle of life kind of thing, and nature has definitely been strong in terms of a theme for us. That sort of carried on over the years, and has definitely played a major part in Windhand material."
Grief's Infernal Flower is out now on Relapse Records. Windhand will also be out on a North American tour next month, with a Canadian show set to take place at Vancouver's Biltmore on October 28. You can see all the dates here.
Speaking with guitarist Asechiah Bogdan about the band's newly released third album, Grief's Infernal Flower, he tells Exclaim! "I try not to get swept up in the hype, because a lot of that is not really our language. We've always been excited about the music we've made. Things seem a little more amplified this time around, but I wouldn't say we are intimidated by it at all. People will have their opinions regardless of what we do."
The attention isn't from a radical sonic reinvention but from a little external guidance in the form of producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden).
"I feel like this record might have been a little more stripped-down than the previous ones," Bogdan says. "We've done all the previous recording in our practice space, so it was intimate, but pretty taxing because the other guitar player, Garrett [Morris], was also handing all the recording. I think this go-around for him personally was definitely a little more laid-back. We got to work with Jack Endino, who is someone we all admire. It was a great experience; he was very laid back, and it was everything we expected. He had great input, but was very relaxed and professional as well. It was awesome."
While music remains largely collaborative, singer Cottrell remains the primary lyrical driver.
"A lot of times I don't really know what the lyrics are until we are in the studio and I hear her singing — overall, I think there is life and death as a theme, sort of a circle of life kind of thing, and nature has definitely been strong in terms of a theme for us. That sort of carried on over the years, and has definitely played a major part in Windhand material."
Grief's Infernal Flower is out now on Relapse Records. Windhand will also be out on a North American tour next month, with a Canadian show set to take place at Vancouver's Biltmore on October 28. You can see all the dates here.
