ninehertz

It is of my opinion that no band has navigated the proggy, epic and grand doom trails as well as Uncle Woe in the last decade. That this field also contains big hitter names including Pallbearer and Elder makes this no light statement, especially considering Uncle Woe are still a small, self-releasing act of little renown. They avoid the pitfalls - not losing themselves to the overblown, keeping an eye on the path at all times - and have created majestic songs that get heavy rotation in ninehertz towers.

Their releases have been regular, this reappearance a year on from their Oblivion and Further Disaster album. It is only two tracks, a seemingly focussed affair expressing a specific channel of writing, a subtle difference and growth. They reference a move away from their most recent work and for those that have followed them, it shows.

Track 1 - One is Obliged - you quickly notice haunted, half there vocals as if tripped out or struggling to wake from a daze. They've always managed to be chilled, but this feels like a step further, floating in place, then delving into the kaleidoscopic strata unlike anytime before. It feels trite to call this their Planet Caravan but it has that same nebulous air. Maybe more pertinently, it conjures reminders of select heavy psychedelic bands, perhaps Dead Meadow at their most cloudy headed to choose one.

Track 2 - Of Symptoms and Waves - similarly, intentionally delicate, more melodious, that concoction of sprawling guitars and whispered emotive vocals almost give it a gothic tinge to its light form doom. The lyrics - "motionless, black, thick and still, statuesque and smothered in broken blue flowers turned pale" do nothing to dissuade from that notion.

This wouldn't be my suggestion were I to try and force my love of this band on to the uninitiated (that'd fall to the gorgeous Pennyfold Haberdashery & Abattoir Deluxe album), but this feels like a band playing with their sound as they grow, trying new things, and still coming up trumps, still sounding unique and masterful.