Black Wound - Wither

Labels: Dry Cough Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 30 Jun 2022

Tracklist:

1. Bite The Blessed Hand

2. Oceans

I was literally planning this review as news dropped of Black Wound's debut album release. Needless to say, continuing to follow the trajectory of this Swedish death/doom band is something I was more than eager to do. Wither was released back in June 2022 via Dry Cough Records, who have been involved in both of the band's previous releases, including their split with Skullsceptre. This EP features two tracks and acts as a pre-cursor to that aforementioned full-length (which, is on sale now by the way!).

Drowning out the generic pop/r&b that’s being played by my neighbour below is easily done when hitting play on Wither’s opener ‘Bite The Blessed Hand’. Black Wound have made it their mission to create truly nasty death/doom, just as it was back in the heyday of the sub-genre. Here, it’s presented in an urgent manner thanks to higher instrumental tempos and genuinely blood-curdling growls/screams. 

The EP’s second song ‘Oceans’ is a very different beast, with Black Wound favouring a slower yet entrancing approach to their music. Murkier and much lower in every department, it feels and sounds much more akin to a funeral march initially. After a couple of minutes though, everything’s turned up a notch or five. That tempo change catches you off guard and while it’s one that retreats back behind the band’s lumbering doom as quickly as it burst forth, it makes quite the impact. 

I’ve always been somebody who appreciates slower doom, I feel like there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to Black Wound. Their musical honesty and song-writing skill stands out like a beacon here, elevated by the mid-section of ‘Oceans’, which is surprisingly light and melodic. A touch unexpected but gracefully delivered with a hint of avant-garde instrumentation thrown in. 

At times there’s an inevitability that songs lasting over ten+ minutes will begin to decline in quality towards their conclusion, it’s not the case here. The latter third it filled with glorious instrumental prowess and a smattering of death metal influence. It concludes an EP that’s short but oh so infectious. 

I’m fast approaching that time of year where doom becomes my go to sound. I have plenty of records to choose from (thanks to Dry Cough and others), though Black Wound will be featuring high on that rotation when the likes of Primitive Man, Meth Drinker and Slave Hands have choked out all light.

Stream and purchase Wither digitally below:-

Tape copies are sold out.

Black Wound - https://www.facebook.com/blackwound

Dry Cough Records - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords

Black Wound/Skullsceptre - Deterioration Of Light

Labels: Dry Cough Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 07 Oct 2021

Tracklist:

1. Black Wound - Rusted Teeth

2. Skullsceptre - Inferno From Beyond

3. Skullsceptre - Upon The Cross

I really must stop using the warmest evenings of the year to write about slow and heavy music. I'm pretty sure I did something similar during the July heatwave, but I just can't help myself. This here split features Swedish death/doom trio Black Wound, whom I wrote about in June and fellow Swede's Skullsceptre, with this split featuring their first recorded material. Deterioration Of Light was released on tape (limited to 100 copies) by UK label Dry Cough, who also released Black Wound's previous EP To The Endless Depths, as well as digitally. Tapes are sold out.

The air is so still this evening with barely any breeze, which means having my window open does nothing at all apart from spread this aural filth even further. Black Wound’s up first with their one and only track ‘Rusted Filth’, which proves my description in the previous sentence was correct, but in a good way. Slow, bass-heavy and raw death/doom that’s primed for tape player real-estate. The vocals are equally as low and are used quite sparingly given the song’s playing time. Definitely heavily rooted in the old-school and all the better for it. It’s very atmospheric too though as the second half demonstrates, when Black Wound venture further down the doomy path with slower and darker tempos. 

Skullsceptre fly straight out of the speakers on their first song ‘Inferno From Beyond’, which is made up of a higher tempo version of death metal, though it still takes it’s influences from the genre’s forefathers. It’s no great surprise really given the death metal royalty that came out of Sweden back in the day. The percussion is faster as you’d expect, while the bass and guitar work is more frenetic and punk-filled. The vocals again are deeper in tone, suiting the music perfectly. Split closer ‘Upon The Cross’ is maniacal in it’s delivery, much in the same vein as Skullsceptre’s first song but coupled with a grin-inducing guitar solo and frightening dual-vocals, it really hits the spot.

This split is over all too quickly. Both Black Wound and Skullsceptre shine new light on the Swedish death metal scene, even if it only lights up the gloomier alleys of it’s underground. The torch never burns out but merely passes on to the next. I know there’s been further material from Black Wound (that I’ll be writing about at a later date) but here’s hoping for more from Skullsceptre as well. Until then though, this split is more than worthy.

You can stream and purchase Deterioration Of Light digitally below:-

Black Wound - https://www.facebook.com/blackwound

Skullsceptre - https://www.facebook.com/skullsceptre

Dry Cough Records - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords

Black Wound - To The Endless Depths

Labels: Dry Cough Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 04 Aug 2021

Tracklist:

1. Absence Of Will

2. From Eternity And Beyond

3. Unending Labyrinth

4. Lurker Of The Threshold/Dweller Of The Depths

5. Traitor

The band I'm reviewing this evening have a bit of a complex history. The Swedish death/doom band (now known as Black Wound) released three demos in 2021, two of which predated To The Endless Depths. The first being Planetary Holocaust, which was originally recorded and released when they were known as Odium and Christ Betrayal, when they were known as Rotten Incarnation. With the current line-up being formed of three members from both of the aforementioned bands, they went on to release To The Endless Depths via UK label Dry Cough Records last August. Metal Archives-based semantics aside, Black Wound are another exciting new death/doom band hailing from the fertile shores of Sweden, which can only be a good thing,

Bass-heavy, low-slung death/doom with utterly filthy gutturals. That’s what you’re greeted with on EP opener ‘Absence Of Will’. A lot more death than doom from Black Wound but the atmosphere’s a lot gloomier than it might first appear. The lo-fi recording and production of this tape really helps with the aforementioned atmosphere. On ‘From Eternity And Beyond’, Black Wound ratchets up the doom with lumbering riffs and plenty of crash cymbal madness. It shows just what they can do with longer songs. Not so much devastating, more devouring in it’s intensity.

The groove of the bass that kicks off ‘Unending Labyrinth’ is an unexpected addition to the grim layers within Black Wound’s music and it leads the way through the whole song. Yes it’s still an extreme number but it’s one filled with catchy tempos and innocent old-school values. I’m not sure if this is two songs rolled into one but ‘Lurker Of The Threshold/Dweller Of The Depths’ is the most oppressive addition to the EP. Even more oppressive than this mini heatwave we’re experiencing in the UK right now. It’s also much better with the volume turned way up, as it reveals all of the band’s instrumental nuances, of which there are plenty if you dedicate time and energy too them.

Final song ‘Traitor’ follows on with an instant percussive wake-up call. The kick drum here is loud! It adds massive heft to the crawling death/doom that flutters around it. The vocals are pretty frightening at times and raspy at others. About a third of the way through they change direction, becoming melodic and almost mystical for a moment, before switching back to their already ploughed furrow. This release is not for the faint of heart. You can’t just dabble in it’s darkness, you have to immerse yourself in it and move far below the surface world. Black Wound is hell personified and all the better for it. 

For Fans Of: Incantation, Skaphe, Abstracter, Malignant Altar and Fossilization

You can stream and purchase To The Endless Depths as a name-your-price download from Black Wound below:-

There were two runs of tapes released via Dry Cough Records. Both runs are sold out.

Black Wound - https://www.facebook.com/Black-Wound

Dry Cough Records - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords