Although they offer very different takes on what you might file under doom, they’re both at the top of their game. Windhand and Satan’s Satyrs put on a great gig in Toronto while touring together last year, and now they’ve teamed up again on this 31-minute split EP.
Although Windhand only gets two songs to their fellow Virginians’ three, they actually take up twice as much runtime on here. “Old Evil” is relatively brisk by Windhand’s standards, clocking in at a shade over six minutes. The fuzzy, crunchy opening riff sounds like something I’ve heard before (in the live setting, perhaps?), before they settle in to their signature sludge/doom stomp. Heads will be banging, most definitely.
“Three Sisters” is a much more epic track, nearly 14 minutes on the nose. This one features some eerie church bell keyboard effects alongside one wicked and nasty trad-doom riff, before giving way to an eerie, vocal-driven verse. This one almost resembles funeral doom in its pacing, or perhaps even the song “Black Sabbath” from the album Black Sabbath by the artist Black Sabbath.
The pace picks up to a mid-tempo jaunt on the Satan’s Satyrs side, with the groovy, 80’s British metal stylings of “Alucard AD 2018.” “Succubus” kicks things up another notch, adding a dash of Pentagram to the mix. And “Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby” is a cover of a 1950’s Jimmy Reed blues number with a twist that recalls The Stones from the 70’s…y’know, back when they didn’t suck.
Despite the contrast in styles, this is still a satisfying listen.
windhand.bandcamp.com/album/split-with-satans-satyrs
