Photo by Samantha Marble
US black metal unit WOE will release their long-anticipated Hope Attrition full-length next month via their new label home of Vendetta Records. In advance of its release and in conjunction with Valentine’s Day, today Decibel Magazine offers up “The Ones We Lost,” for public feasting.
“If the name doesn’t give it away, ‘The Ones We Lost’ is about coming to terms with a loved one’s death,” elaborates founding guitarist/vocalist Chris Grigg. “For me, it is the most draining song of WOE‘s entire catalog. I, the other members of the band, and seemingly everyone I know had to deal with sudden deaths of family and friends over the past few years. Even if you recover, it leaves you changed. The cognitive dissonance between your body’s sense of something fundamentally broken in the world and the world’s indifference never really goes away. I think of this song as the emotional centerpiece of the album, a statement about grappling with the individual’s powerlessness in the face of the ultimate, final uncaring force.”
Adds Decibel, “”The Ones We Lost” displays WOE‘s penchant for powerful introductions that explode into something more intense. Rapid tremolo picking complements walls of sound and Grigg’s vocals hold a mournful tone. ”
Hear “The Ones We Lost,” now playing at Decibel Magazine at THIS LOCATION.
And if you missed it, Hear “The Din Of The Mourning” at Brooklyn Vegan at THIS LOCATION or Invisible Oranges at THIS LOCATION as well as first single “No Blood Has Honor” streaming now at the band’s official Bandcamp page where preorders are also available at THIS LOCATION.
Hope Attrition will see release on March 17th on CD, vinyl, cassette, and digital formats. Physical editions come swathed in the artwork of artist Justin Miller who’s handled artwork for all past WOE releases.
Additionally, a remastered edition of debut, A Spell For The Death Of Man, is currently available digitally and on vinyl (limited to 500 copies) via Vendetta RIGHT HERE.
Featuring Grigg alongside a monster lineup of longtime contributing bassist Grzesiek Czapla, guitarist Matt Mewton, and drummer Lev Weinstein, Hope Attrition is a dark, mournful work that draws from WOE‘s darkest black metal influences while drawing out dormant death metal undertones, bolstered by the crushing production of renowned engineer Stephen DeAcutis (Evoken, Dim Mak) at Sound Spa Studios in Edison, New Jersey. Hope Attrition is a personal commentary on the chaos of the modern world that only WOE can offer.
WOE will bring their warring odes to Europe with German black metal unit Ultha for a stretch of festival dates including an appearance at Roadburn on April 22nd with future onstage assaults both Stateside and abroad in the plotting stages.
WOE w/ Ultha:
4/13/2017 TBA
4/14/2017 Hamburg Is Droneburg Festival @ Hafenklang – Hamburg, DE [info]
4/15/2017 Vendetta Fest @ Tiefgrund – Berlin, DE [info]
4/16/2017 Conspiracy Of The Damned Festival @ Baroeg – Rotterdam, NL [info]
4/17/2017 Nexus – Braunschweig, DE [info]
4/18/2017 Club Famu – Prag, CZ [info]
4/19/2017 Escape – Vienna, AU [info]
4/20/2017 Doom Over Leipzig Festival @ UT Connewitz – Leipzig, DE [info]
4/21/2017 Dudefest Festival @ Jubez – Karlsruhe, DE [info]
4/22/2017 Roadburn Festival @ O13 – Tilburg, NL [info]
WOE was formed in 2007 as a black metal solo project of multi-instrumentalist Chris Grigg. After catching the underground’s attention with a strong demo of ugly, raw black metal, the first full-length, A Spell For The Death Of Man, was unleashed in 2008. The album presented the first glimpse of modern WOE: faithful to the traditions established by the black metal classics but a willingness to inject a very American perspective by way of punk and hardcore influences. It found critical acclaim both in the underground and beyond.
Demand for live performances encouraged the assembly of a full band, which was put together with veterans of the Philadelpahia scene. After two years of live work, they signed a contract with longrunning metal label Candlelight Records and released Quietly, Undramatically in 2010. The first recording to feature a full band, the album continued the direction established by A Spell For The Death Of Man but pushed further outwards, showing WOE‘s willingness to experiment with an expansive “post-black metal” sound while not completely ignoring their roots. The risks paid off, as the album received an enormous response and propelled the band to new levels of recognition. Performances at Scion Rock Fest in California and a brief tour opening for the infamous Mayhem followed.
After three years and a relocation from Philadelphia to Brooklyn, the band released Withdrawal on Candlelight in 2013 to more rave reviews. Their strongest, most abrasive material to date, it drew from the dynamics of Quietly, Undramatically while descending back towards the controlled chaos that were central to the WOE‘s ideals. The band toured heavily in support but were ultimately forced to put the project to focus on responsibilities outside of music.
“The songwriting is clearly Grigg’s, in the vein of Dissection, Sacaramentum, and maybe a little Emperor, but holy shit do the vocals sound pissed. Replacing his mostly high register shrieks, Grigg finds himself hitting lows that would sit comfortably on a death metal album, but work stunningly well here.” –Sbvterranean
“It’s easy to fall in love with what WOE do on Hope Attrition. This is a band who blaze forth time and time again, each song a veritable sally into the darkest parts of the human psyche. The power of the melodies and the burning magic of the most frostbitten riffs will keep your head spinning. ” — Two Guys Metal Reviews
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