Review: Weedpecker ‘V’
Poland’s Weedpecker has been one of my favorites for a number of years. Their dare-I-say silly (intentionally?) band name might imply any number of variations of dirty, fuzzy, marijuana-centered doom metal.
Instead, the Warsaw quartet weaves densely packed compositions of swirling psychedelic-prog melody with enough metal and rock stylings to keep any bloodshot-eyed headbanger’s interest
Not strictly an instrumental act, as subtle vocals do enter the fray on occasion, Weedpecker’s work has been consistently strong since their inception back in 2012. Five years after 2021’s IV: The Stream Of Forgotten Thoughts, we have now arrived at… well, V released through Heavy Psych Sounds. Guiatrist, vocalist and mastermind Piotr Dobry intended this record to be a deeply personal affair, a reflection on the fleeting and fragile nature of reality itself. Additionally, it perhaps represents their most drastic sonic evolution to date.
Synthesizers have been brought to the forefront this time around, courtesy not only of Dobry but additionally from musicians Piotr Sadza and Tomasz Walczak. Indeed, there seems to have been something of a subtle synth renaissance/revival over the past ten years or so, with their contemporaries such as Elder and King Buffalo, as well as spacey death metal act Blood Incantation taking up the reigns of Goblin and Tangerine Dream’s ’80s territory.
The familiar fretwork meshes seamlessly with the intensely grandiose synth and keyboard flourishes…
The aptly named Intro is a good example of this with its energetic keyboard trills and staccato reverberations preparing the listener for a jaunt into the ethereal unknown. Fading Whispers begins with gentle melodic guitar stylings building up to a sweeping crescendo of mellotron majesty, while Ash hits with a post-metal attack somewhat reminiscent of works on Elder’s Reflections Of A Floating World or Polymoon’s Chrysalis. The familiar fretwork meshes seamlessly with the intensely grandiose synth and keyboard flourishes in a match made in studio heaven.
Breathy harmonized vocals carry In The Dark We Shine, a lively prog ballad that shines like bioluminescence in a vast oceanic void. The Last Summer Of Youth seems to address the album’s rather somber theme, to take one’s enjoyment while one can, because summer ends just like any other season. It’s definitely far from a light subject, yet it’s delivered with the consummate melodic passion that Weedpecker have always been known for.
I found myself missing some of the band’s earlier, heavier stylings, but that is ultimately a banally familiar complaint which doesn’t in any way obstruct their new creative process. V is a shining musical life, showcasing that because something is brief, it doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful.
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Rob Walsh
