LIFE IS NOISE is excited to announce that two powerhouses of American doommetal—Windhand and their spiritual kin Cough—will be heading to our shores in 2017.
These label-mates from Virginia will be melting minds at select venues throughout Australia and New Zealand as part of a massive doom double-header in March and April next year.
Windhand
The rise of Windhand has been meteoric. Since first surfacing in 2009, this Virginia five-piece quickly outgrew their local underground ties to tour the globe with acts like Sleep, High On Fire, Dead Meadow and Kvelertak. And their third full length, Grief’s Infernal Flower, cemented the band as one of the doom masters of our time.
“Windhand are no longer a rising force in the doom metal scene, they are well established within the throne room.”
— CVLT Nation
Dubbed as “…doom metal’s most anticipated album of the year”, Grief’s Infernal Flower is the epitome of fuzzed-out bliss. Simultaneously massive, heavy and deeply personal, the haunting and hypnotic vocals of Dorthia Cottrell serve to guide the listener through the dual riff attack of guitarists Garrett Morris and Asechiah Bogdan.
“The record’s breath-like flow, spacious atmosphere, and hopeful melancholy coalesce into a visceral experience that begs to be lived with, shared, reflected on, meditated to, and then possessed like a personal artefact.”
— Consequence Of Sound
Windhand live are a lesson in rhythmic mastery. Propelling through the slowest of songs, with the subtle expertise of bassist Parker Chandler and drummer Ryan Wolfe as their backbone, no one will be able to defy the pure need to headbang in their presence.
Cough
Cough rose from the fertile metal swamps of Richmond, Virginia to produce some of the most intense, tortured and misanthropic doom out. Drawing from savage elements of extreme music, the past decade has seen the band inspired by everything from early black metal and sludge tones to psychedelia, doom’s early genre forefathers, blues and more—all in their search for beauty in the darkest of places.
Now they have returned after a five-year hiatus with the monolithic beast that is Still They Pray.
“The agony and misery on this album is thick and heavy. The vocals at points seem to exalt pain and torture to a level that puts most black metal to shame.”
— Metal Injection
Produced by Electric Wizard’s Jus Oborn, Still They Pray is a recording that takes the listener to the depths of despair and longing. With comparisons to seminal acts like Candlemass, Cathedral, Sleep and Saint Vitus, their third full length is 70-minutes of crushing defeat and euphoric redemption.
“Cough exist in a more volatile state, beyond hope and comfort, but not content with remaining there. The band seems to be playing against a wall of violent storm clouds that threaten to enclose and consume, with the very notes of their music subduing this impending blackness.”
— Consequence Of Sound
Surging between moments of reprieve and impenetrable sound, Cough live are nothing short of soul-destroying. Be ready for this four-piece to lure you in and drag you down to the crawling pit of their inner psyche.
Windhand and Cough New Zealand Tour
Wellington – San Fran – March 31
Auckland – Kings Arms – April 1
Tickets from UTR, Slow Boat and RPM in Wellington and Flying Out in Auckland.
