Album Review: Wight – Through The Woods Into Deep Water

You might not have figured out from my Elder review, but I’m a big fan of this psychedelic doom stuff that’s been popping up recently. Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Ancestors, Young Hunter – all damn good stuff. And, being from Massachusetts, I’m kind of in the middle of a hotbed of this stuff, with Summoner, Olde Growth, the afore-mentioned Elder, and a few others being local to the area. Simply put, it’s a good time to be a doom metal fan.

German stoner doomers Wight have put in another worthy entry to the scene with Through The Woods Into Deep Water. They play a very bluesy take on the style, like a heavier version of Graveyard, and are free of the occult themes that much of the genre has taken up in recent years (not that I’m complaining about it).

Possibly my only sticking point is the vocals. Guitarist/vocalist Rene Hofmann occasionally delves into cheesy Eddie Vedder-copycat territory (like the beginning of Kiss Your Friends Goodbye), but these instances are not frequent, and overall his performance suits the band just fine. Other than that, I have no real complaints; while I tend to prefer psych-doom that focuses more on atmosphere, I can’t complain about a band that rocks hard, and Wight rock hard.

I do feel the need, however, to point out the instrumental title track which closes out the album. This 8-minute mammoth (the third-longest song on the album) does not rock hard, instead opting for that more atmospheric sound that I tend to lean towards. Not coincidentally, it happens to be my favorite song on the album.

Lastly, the album is freely available on Wight’s Bandcamp page. You have no excuse not to grab it when it’s A) free and B) fantastic. Get on it, buddy.

Overall Grade: A-

-John