Uncle Wormwood – ‘Doomsayer’
(Death Roots Syndicate, 2019)
Based on electric guitar and foot percussion, Uncle Wormwood guides us through his universe. It’s a swamp rock trash blues, dark country sound with his imposing (but full of feelings) voice.
In ‘Doomsayer‘, all songs sound exactly as they should. Nothing inessential intervenes between the voice and the instruments. Only all that is necessary to create this mystical trip. The tracks are independent but still give off a sense of cohesion.
Song number one, ‘Day by Day‘, starts with this great guitar tune and U.W.’s voice, a sample of what we expect from this album. If you asked me what this album is about though, I’d tell you to listen to ‘Hate & Fear‘, the second track. A speedy song, where guitar and vocals compete on how fast they can own our mind.
One of the tracks I consider special is the self-titled one, because of the intro and the marvelous riff on the guitar. This is a song that you can listen to over and over again.
Also, pay attention to the last song (‘Transistor‘). A song that is closing this nightmarish trip. No words, just sound. A sound like the one the soul makes when it leaves the body. An excellent way to close this masterpiece!
One of the album’s best things of course is U.W.’s voice. It unleashes such energy. His singing sounds like crying but it can be full of anger, despair or all at once without weighing down the songs at all. On this record, guitar, vocals and foot percussion fight to haunt us. There is no loser in this fight; all are equally winners, serving their purpose to take us through his creation.
U.W. is an artist who makes music with his heart, letting his feelings guide him when he creates an album. His deposit is the soul that the tracks have. He lives out of the spotlight, no compromises for the mass, no easy listening songs with lyrics that anyone may easily accept.
U.W. is a lonesome prophet who is preaching about the sins we have done, and the sins we will do. U.W. is the friend that we all need, a friend to speak to us with love about all the things that torture us.
Konstantinos Pamfiliss
