On March 29, 2011, Dallas, Texas based trio True Widow released their second album through Kemado Records. The album is entitled As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth, and it pretty much came out of nowhere. The same goes for their first release. True Widow are just now getting the recognition they deserve with this second release. The project was conceived when lead vocalist and guitarist Dan Phillips (formerly of Slowride) was sitting on his couch in early 2007 with a guitar in hand, strumming along. According to Phillips, he doesn't sit down to write music, instead he sits down to play guitar and sometimes the writing process just comes along on its own. True Widow termed their type of music 'stonegaze', but I hear elements from all over. This album is a mix of grunge, shoegaze, post-rock, sludge, doom, and slow-core, which creates one interesting and incredible sound.
Many songs feature bassist Nicole Estill on vocals. Estill's vocals are very reminiscent of Belinda Butcher from My Bloody Valentine. The vocals are soft and almost whispered, carrying that laid back vibe. Her bass work is very crushing and is a major contribution to the overall sound. An example of this crushing bass can be heard on the track 'Skull Eyes'. The band is rounded out by Slim, the drummer, who provides an amazing beat section to the mix. Much of the album's heaviness and sonic structure comes from Estill's melodic bass playing, while Phillip's guitar work gives the songs rhythm and support. Much of Phillip's guitar work is melodic and shys away from blending in with Estill's bass to create a heavier atmosphere. The guitar work is slow while the bass is crushing and heavy, thus giving the music a sound that is similar to slow-core. True Widow likes to experiment and this can be heard on the entire record, but most notably on the song 'Wither'. Here, Estill has a bass solo and is even heard bending a string, creating a distorted, wah-like effect.
Sometimes a good part in a song may go by too fast, leaving the listener pressing rewind a thousand times, but with True Widow this is never the case. The music goes from repetitive to having a variety of change-ups, but also it is structured, so much of what is heard at the beginning of a song is heard at the end of a song, only with more layers built up. Repetitive or not, True Widow's are a keeper in my book and will definitely please fans of slow but very heavy rock music. Do yourself a favor and please buy As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth from True Widow.
Sometimes a good part in a song may go by too fast, leaving the listener pressing rewind a thousand times, but with True Widow this is never the case. The music goes from repetitive to having a variety of change-ups, but also it is structured, so much of what is heard at the beginning of a song is heard at the end of a song, only with more layers built up. Repetitive or not, True Widow's are a keeper in my book and will definitely please fans of slow but very heavy rock music. Do yourself a favor and please buy As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth from True Widow.
Check out the track 'Skull Eyes' off of True Widow's As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth:
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