WO FAT: The Conjuring
New Wo Fat: ‘Nuff Said
If you are already familiar
with Wo Fat, the fact that there’s a new album out is all you need to
know. You know that Wo Fat albums follow
the formula: New
Album ≥ Previous Album. Stop reading and go grab the album; “No ones
or zeros baby!” If you are unfamiliar
with Wo Fat, let me put it like this: If
someone asked you the question “Who’s the most bad-ass sounding three piece
rock band from Texas there’s ever been?”,
ZZ Top wouldn’t be a wrong answer, it would just be an answer that shows
you haven’t heard of Wo Fat. Kent Stump,
Tim Wilson and Michael Walter have put out five albums in six years, and none
of them has a single tune that doesn’t kick major ass. They are always included in the Stoner Rock
category, but I would say their music falls more specifically in the category
of “Heavy Psych”. The warm, heavy fuzz
of Kent Stump’s guitar sound is unparalleled, and his playing is ever-evolving
throughout each tune. I have listened to
Wo Fat tunes countless times and can still find new things to appreciate about Kent’s
playing. The last three albums have only
five tunes apiece, but the average song length is probably around eight
minutes, and a couple of the tunes on these albums are over fifteen minutes
long. My favorite tune on “The
Conjuring” album is “Dreamwalker”. Most
bands who put out a seventeen minute tune lose my attention well before the
halfway point, and I usually don’t want to make the time commitment required to
listen to it multiple times. Wo Fat is
different though. “Dreamwalker sets a
mood right away, and draws me in, pulling me along as the song evolves and
develops. It is not an instrumental, but
the way it creates such a powerful atmosphere reminds me of two of my favorite
Wo Fat tunes, “The Spheres Beyond” and “Noche Del Chupacabra”, both
instrumentals. Rather than including a
clip of one of the new tunes, I am referring you to a live version of a tune
from Wo Fat’s first album. The band’s
sound has evolved quite a bit, but this version of “From Beyond” should give
the uninitiated a good taste of what the band is about.
“From Beyond”
Wo Fat is:
Kent Stump: Guitar
Tim Wilson: Bass
Michael Walter: Drums (Baterie Mastodontica as he calls it), backup vocals
great job man!
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