WIDOWS – Oh Deer God

We have crossed paths with the British band Widows several years ago, so we were quite curious to see what their new record would have been like, scheduled for release this April five years after their debut, and two years after the single "Blue Tina".

Apart from the great album title character, naturally portrayed on the cover as some sort of eight-armed divinity, the Nottingham-based quartet explicit their core topics at once: alcohol, bongs, mysticism, and a lot of fuzz. Even by skimming the tracklist we will notice that we are knee-deep in a waggish approach to stoner rock, also thanks to titles such as "Caffeine And Hatred" or "Ride To The Realm Of Coitus", this impression was then confirmed by the music itself.

I have listened to "Oh Deer God" for the first time while driving on the motorway and yes, it was perfect for that environment. The titletrack welcomes us with heavy Clutch-inspired riffing and a dirty vocal style reminiscent of the Louisiana scene; at first listen you might actually believe you are dealing with an American band. Nevertheless, with the sudden change of pace in "Caffeine And Hatred" (pretty much a one-minute chainsaw attack) we soon find out that Widows are more than happy to contaminate their music with more extreme styles, while staying in full control of their horned creature. There is also room for several cool guitar leads, for example in the massive "Ride To The Realm Of Coitus", that also goes on to delve deep into the slowest and darkest moments of the whole record, before getting back on the fast track especially thanks to the work on drums. All in all, this is a much harsher album than their debut, as guitarist James Kidd observed as well, even flirting with elements of Electric Wizard or Kyuss.

For fans of stoner metal, less than thirty minutes might seem too little for an LP, but apparently the quartet preferred focusing on their most effective creations without overdoing it. Apart from being very good at producing kick-ass highway music, Widows have also always embodied extreme dedication to live performances (especially around the UK). The official release of "Oh Deer God" is scheduled for April 14 at the Rough Trade in Nottingham, and who knows, maybe the band will also embark on a continental European tour over the following months.