There are many bands who don’t like being tarnished with certain brush and grouped with a wider seen. But most of these acts merely call themselves rock & roll or plain old metal acts; very few create their own term with which to pigeonhole their band.
But that’s just what True Widow have done. Hailing from Dallas, Texas, the three piece describe their sound a
s ‘Stonegaze’, somewhere between drone-like stoner and the quiet minimalism of traditional shoegaze style music. Their description seems pretty close to their sound; minimalist, distorted and quiet.
Onto their third full release, Circumambulation is more hazy and atmospheric, and less riff- driven than their previous effort, As High as the Highest Heavens and from the Center to the Circumference of the Earth. It’s also easier to say. The album’s title means to move around a sacred object, and is a big part of various religions. The title seems apt, as it often feels as though you are being put into some sort of mesmerising trance that’s very easy to get lost in as you listen to it, albeit in a very slow, shuffling sort of way.
Guitarist/vocalist DH Phillips, bassist/vocalist Nicole Estill and drummer Slim TX have created an album that’s not quite drone or doom, but features elements of both, and adds more influences on top. Opener ‘Creeper’ slowly rumbles into view, lots of fuzz on the guitar, thick distortion and reverb, and sets the pace and tone for the rest of the record.
Midway through the album, the seven-minute ‘Trollstigen’ is probably the highlight. Opening with a grungey Melvins-esque riff, Estill’s eerie vocals and lethargic drumming over layers of fuzz and distortion.
The two vocalists usually take turns as to who takes the mic. Estill’s voice has a haunting, smokey sound, while Phillips is more grunge-like in his delivery and more melancholic in tone. They share similar qualities; both are hypnotic and understated, waxing in and out of the haze of the music. But it’s when the two harmonise, such as one ‘Four Teeth’ and ‘Lungr’ that vocals add a new melodic quality that’s rarely heard in this kind of down tempo music.
There’s no one band True Widow sound most like. There’s occasional grunge moments, doom, drone, even vintage Queens Of The Stone Age. The music is dense and listenable but not crushingly heavy, it’s dusty dessert rock. Though the endless intensity and similarity of the songs adds to the nuance of the album, there’s very little here for anyone who likes their music above a snail’s pace. But the somber mood and subtle harmonies mean fans of this style of music will be able to bask in its smoke.
Circumambulation isn’t a radical departure from their previous albums, but a consolidation. Fans of previous efforts will find the band on fine form. Well worth a listen for those who like slow-burning atmospherics and hazy soundscapes.
7.5/10
Dan Swinhoe