Wo Fat – The Singularity
Release Date: 6th May 2022
Label: Ripple Music
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner, Doom Metal, Psychedelic Blues.
FFO: Yawning Man, Truckfighters, Sleep, Kyuss.
Review By: Paul Franklin
If you watch a lot of action films (especially ones where there is a Master/Student dynamic) you will know that, more often than not, there is an eagerly anticipated moment when the master is required to step forward and in a considered and confident manner comprehensively kick arse.
Every single track on the new album from Texan Stoner Metal veterans Wo Fat has one of those moments. The beauty is it’s not always in the same place, sometimes…Bang! It’s right there at the start, but other times they make you wait, and just when you think that it might not be coming, and you’re going to be disappointed, that’s when they batter you with an elephantine riff, or slap down a bass groove so funky that it directly connects your nodding head to your tapping foot.
Six years since their last release, The Singularity sees the band return with a more progressive and refined sonic brew. Although not a concept album, the title and the themes of the songs address the concerns that increasing environmental disasters and unchecked technological advancements are driving humanity towards a tipping point, beyond which we lose control of our fate. Fortunately, these themes are delivered via the medium of muscular swampadelic noise.
All the tracks on the album go beyond the seven-minute mark, with opener Orphans of the Singe and the climatic instrumental full-blown space rock epic The Oracle hitting fourteen and sixteen minutes respectively. The opening track begins with a bit of eastern vibe before the greasy southern groove takes hold. The intriguingly named The Snows of Banquo IV utilizes a classic stoner galloping riff to help melt the way for a stomping tale of fear and floods. Otherworlder and The Unravelling continue to dish out the retro goodies with big choruses, funky grooves, and manic guitar work. The Witching Chamber is a nine and half minute fuzz drenched exposé of the more psychedelic and doomy elements of the band’s sound.
With seven songs in 76 minutes, you could be forgiven for thinking that there might be a risk of things slipping into ‘extended jam’ territory, however have faith. Just as you feel the uncertainty start to creep in, Wo Fat will be there to place a firm hand on your shoulder and tell you straight, “We got this!”
(4 / 5)
