For The Freaks...

Wo Fat - Live Juju: Wo Fat at Freak Valley (2015)

Wo Fat have been kicking around for about a decade now, and the time has finally come for a non-bootleg live show album to be put out by the band.  Over the five live show tracks, the group pulls from their last four albums (sorry, fans of The Gathering Dark), then throws in a bonus studio jam at the end.  If you've heard Wo Fat's music before, you know what to expect, with the fuzz, bass, and grooves, but hearing the band lay out the massive songs live is a treat, with the rough edges only adding to the experience.  Jolting feedback twitches, sharper buzzes, and the whistles & screams of the crowd makes it easy to visualize the trio on-stage, immersed in their sounds.  As wild as it gets, Wo Fat always seem to have the music under control (at times, just barely), and the confident performance makes the transition between absorptive freak-out passages and more grounded vocal sections go just fine.
At the end of the day, if you're a stoner/desert/heavy psych rock/metal fan who isn't opposed to live albums for whatever reason, you'll want to give this one a shot.  Digital versions are for sale (currently $10) on the BandCamp page, where you also have the option of picking up a vinyl copy (of a 500-piece run), or if you're undecided, to just stream the songs until you're convinced.  Enjoy!
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Sleep, Mother Mars, Electric Wizard, Weedeater, Bomg

Facebook • Official Website • BandCamp

Wo Fat - Enter the Riffian (live) (320 kbps)

~

Conjuring the Riff Demons

Wo Fat ~ The Conjuring (2014)

The fuzzy riff masters out of Texas, Wo Fat, are back with their latest speaker cone destroying album, "The Conjuring" their second album on Small Stone Records. The formula hasn't changed a great deal from their last effort, or even their earlier releases, you're still repeatedly smacked around by the torrential Stoner Rock assault that you've come to expect from this band. Sure, it's only a five track album, but with none coming in under a six minute duration you'll be hard pressed to find five heavier tracks this year. From the ten minute opening track, all the way to the seventeen minute closer, you'll be completely enthralled in all of the groovy and fuzzy goodness that these guys lay down from the first moments until the last, jam after jam, never missing a beat. As excellent as the whole album sounds, top to bottom, my personal standout track is "Read the Omens". Opening up with unrelenting fuzz, the track doesn't take long to blast off into full swing. The "tighter than a virgin on prom night" rhythm section create a wall of sonic obliteration so massive that mortal man can barely stand in it's shadow, with that phenomenal guitar tone taking center stage at certain points, managing to inject an even heavier groove than what was provided. The course, gravel road vocals keep a melodic quality all the way through, using that to fade a little of the vocal edge off, even taking on a little bit of a chant-like vibe at a couple of points. When the vocalist isnt' howling, his guitar is, putting down the thick, gnarly riffs and solos one has come to expect from the band. Towards the end of the track, it all devolves into a full on auditory jackhammer, with the band's entire groove slamming it's way home into your brain. This is but a taste of everything this album has to offer. As this album picks up even more steam since it's release more and more people will be picking it up, so whether you just need the digital version to blast at top volume and piss off all your neighbors, or you're a more serious music collector and are balls deep into a vinyl collection, and even all of you fine people that still buy cds, you can find something to fit any of your musical needs at Small Stone's bandcamp, and you will need this in your collection, no Stoner Rock collection would be complete without it.
~Skip

For Fans Of; Rainbows Are Free, Artimus Pyledriver, Dozer

Facebook  • Last.fm • Bandcamp

Waxing Lyrical - Vinyl Review...

Wo Fat - Noche del Chupacabra (2011)

The kings of the riff are back, Wo Fat's Noche del Chupacabra is finally here! Now I've been waiting for this album since the day it was announced, so when it turned up on my doorstep on Tuesday I tore into the packaging with furious impatience. When ever I get this way about something I've been waiting for I almost always get sudden wash of worry flood over me. Theres always that underlying doubt that it wont live up to the expectations you've been dreaming up for the last god knows how many weeks...

Wo Fat's second release Psychedelonaut instantly became one of, if not my favourite album of 2009, and how could it not be? Huge storming riffs coming one after another and enthused with the all psychadelica and groove the title implies. So it makes me rather ecstatic to report that any niggling doubts I may have had were quickly extinguished within about 10 seconds of the needle touching down on the wax. Further more all expectations were promptly trumped from track to track. Nothing lets up for a second, all the now trade mark Wo Fat elements are still there. Mammoth lead guitar churning out epic riff after riff, fuzzed out bass and down tempo drums topped with Kent's echoing vocals. Just like Psychedelonaut every song so enormous its still hard to believe the band is only a 3 man operation.

My only mild disappointment is that unlike the last release there's no download card. A petty gripe really but still, I honestly cant rate this album high enough. It may only be January but I honestly cant see much on the horizon to knock this off the spot of my favourite album of the year. But like said when I posted about their previous album, if you don't believe me go find out for yourself! I promise, you wont regret it!

• Label: Nasoni Records

• Pressing Info: 500 copies - 400 Black & 100 Marbled Orange

• Price: £13 - £16

For Fans Of:  Dozer, Rainbows Are Free, Blowback, Weathers, Blackland

Website  •  Myspace  •  iTunes  


Noche del Chupacabra (320kbps)

Trippy Texan Psychedelic Riffs At Their Best...

Wo Fat - Psychedelonaut (2009)

I just had to get this album up, not just because the guys have got a new album out within the next month or so, but because it was easily one of my favourite albums of 2009.

Its the second offering from Texas three piece, following up their first album The Gathering Dark and they've gone from leaps to bounds. 

Straight from the get go you can hear elements of all the classic oldschool acid/psychedelic influences from the 70's. The sonic waves of trippy background ambience, catchy pounding riffs all complimented by roaring vocals make this offering (in my opinion) one of the best stoner/psychedelic albums since the days of Captain Beyond, Leaf Hound and such like. A bold statement I know, but if you don't believe me (or even if you do) please, for christ sake check this album out for yourself! Out on Nasoni Records, you'd be mad not to pick it up on vinyl, especially if you're able to hunt down a copy of the beautiful red and green wax version (limited to just 100 copies).

If the forth coming album, Noche del Chupacabra is just half as good as this masterpiece the guys are onto a winner!

...What are you still waiting for?... Go on, go bloody get it!

For Fans Of; Nebula, Captain Beyond, Dozer, White Hills, Blowback

Website  •  Myspace  •  iTunes  

Psychedelonaut (320kbps)