Woundwood – Woundwood [Demo]

When we think of the early Death/Doom pioneers of the early 90s, particularly the Peaceville 3, many astute listeners could immediately pick up on the influence of 80s Goth Rock and Post-punk in the music – giving them a more romantic and melancholic take on the style compared to the more neanderthal stylings of bands like Autopsy or Asphyx. While these non-Metal influences always played a secondary role, what if they were at the forefront? The answer to that question is perhaps best told by this nascent New England act by the name of Woundwood, who masterfully straddle the line between both.

Throughout the course of its half hour duration, Woundwood has produced a demo that captures the feeling of deep sorrow and harmony that this style evokes. Already from the opener ‘Joyless Ritual’, we are treated to a beauty and the beast approach where riffs transition from brisk melodies to thick grooves while the vocals go from ghostly clean to morose growls. The sprinkled synths give it a gelid touch, transporting us to a lost realm that is drenched in misery. When attempting a style like this there is always a danger that the fusion of styles doesn’t work and ends up with awkward passages that satisfy fans of neither genre, but that is not the case here. The remainder of the demo does much of the same, constantly ebbing and flowing between aggression and beauty in a way that feels so effusive.

The members of Woodward have studied their musical masters thoroughly and delivered a demo that achieves its objectives clearly: to give us a journey into pure sadness and grief. A nice piece of music to play on a cold, chilly evening during a winter walk.