Photo by Samantha Marble
“The passion, filth, and pure vitriol that USBM demands is all there, and especially given the state of our world in this moment, Hope Attrition is a required listen.” – Metal Bandcamp
Today marks the official unveiling of Hope Attrition, the long-anticipated new full-length from US black metal collective WOE.
Out now on Vendetta Records, 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.
Hope Attrition is out NOW 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.
Stream/order Hope Attrition at the official WOE Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION. In Europe, visit the Vendetta Records Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION.
WOE will play two domestic shows later this month opening for Inter Arma before bringing their warring odes to Europe with German black metal unit Ultha. The trek includes an appearance at Roadburn on April 22nd with future onstage assaults both stateside and abroad in the plotting stages.
WOE:
3/27/2017 Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA w/ Inter Arma [info]
3/26/2017 Saint Vitus Bar – Brooklyn, NY w/ Inter Arma. Holy Mountain Removers [info]
w/ Ultha:
4/13/2017 4/13/2017 Het Bos – Antwerpen, BE
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.
“…Hope Attrition ups the ante for anything that comes after it.” – Decibel
“While past WOE records have dealt with Satan, religion, and, later, depression and emotional turmoil, Hope Attrition trains a laser focus on human evil… Explicitly anti-fascist black metal is not new, but as the divisions rending the rest of American society continue to grow, the equally fractured metal community needs bands like this to rally behind. Black metal fans are lucky to have WOE in our corner.” – Noisey
“They sound sharp and clear on this record, and not at the expense of aggression. If anything, what makes WOE stand out amongst their peers is just how aggressive they are. They’re accessible but not pretty. This is knuckle-whitening, teeth-clenching stuff.” – BrooklynVegaN
“…a firestorm of an album… WOE‘s mission never has wavered and always has been here to shake, prod, and provoke, and as this new record proves, there are very few who could hold a candle to their rage. – Meat Mead Metal
“It is the kind of record that sounds almost beautiful within its chaos of despair and anguish, and it doesn’t feel at least even one bit hokey, which is a plus. WOE simply have no desire to sing about demons and monsters and aspects of the occult, because they want to focus on a more down-to-earth and accessible sort of poetry, which comes off as dark and moody as one might expect.” – The Grim Tower
“This is music that is deeply rooted in darkness that still somehow manages to be transcendent and uplifting. If you liked the incredible promise presented by A Spell For The Death Of Man, this album exceeds it in every way.” – The Sludgelord
“Take everything about USBM and some of the UK Candlelight bands (WOE‘s old label) of the past couple years, throw them in a blender, sprinkle in some of that unique East Coast US isolation, and you get the mass of anguish that is WOE‘s Hope Attrition.” – New Noise
“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
“WOE demonstrate with Hope Attrition that there’s still plenty to be said for embracing (whilst subtly twisting) the core sound, and playing it with enough passion and talent. This is an emotionally exhausting, musically intense listen, and though it’s still early days, is sure to be one of 2017’s black metal highlights.” – Broken Amp
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