Richmond, Virginia is one of those places that consistently, yet quietly, produces some amazing bands. A visual list of all the artists that have emerged from the greater Richmond area over the last two decades would prove to be an impressive one on both the metal and punk circuits. So it should really come as no surprise that over the last couple years Richmond has given us two more rising flames for us to stoke the metal irons by.
Cough is a band that’s been making waves for a bit now. Formed in 2005, their debut for Relapse, 2010’s Ritual Abuse, was one of the better doom releases from that year and has really only gotten better over time with each listen. Their metal neighbors, both geographically and sonically are Windhand, a band that opened a lot of eyes and ears (Including this guy!) with their self-titled EP last year. This time around they have joined forces to deliver a split album consisting of only three songs (One by Cough, two by Windhand) but one that clocks in at over 36 minutes in length. Can you say doooooooooom?
Cough’s brand of doom is best suited for the Black Mass set with their blasphemous samples, sardonic cries for sacrifice and riffs that will shake the bowels of Satan himself. Their one track, “Athame”, is 18 minutes of pure sludgy bliss. Windhand deliver two tracks of ethereal, psych-doom where vocalist Dorthia Cottrell soars and floats above the distortion like a bird of prey perusing the rubble of a nuclear wasteland. Both bands are at the top of their game on these tracks. Every note on here is trance inducing and Earth-rattling all at the same time and conjures up apocalyptic, soul-stealing images. (Just the way good doom metal should be played.) It’s more than apparent that these are not just some throwaway tracks that they decided to cobble together last minute. Reflection of the Negative is set for an April 16 release through Relapse Records. Fans of doom metal in all it’s various forms will find a lot to love here.
To hear more of each band’s previous material you can check out their most recent albums on the Windhand and Cough Bandcamp pages.
Metal Homework:
Speaking of doom…and grind…and just about everything else…how many out there remember Australian pioneers of the eclectic, Disembowelment? (Or diEMBOWELMENT if you prefer that spelling.) When we talk about bands that bended genres and experimented with their sound unlike any other bands at the time it’s a shame that Disembowelment aren’t mentioned more often. I highly recommend you dig further into their classic Transcendence Into The Peripheral album.
