Time to start blowing minds.

Or so it would seem has been the decision of Wo Fat, whose third album, Noche del Chupacabra, has been a first-quarter highlight of 2011. The full-length was released back in January via German esoterica purveyors Nasoni Records, and it’s a maddeningly potent blend of fuzz crunch, psych wonder and low-end groove. A step beyond the already-masterful second LP, Psychedelonaut (2009), Noche del Chupacabra sees Wo Fat range even further into the realm of solo improvisation — never losing sight of the song in the process, as so many do. Built from four tracks and an extended instrumental titular jam, Noche del Chupacabra is shorter, meaner and Wo Fat at their most lethal yet.

Somehow, though, in the process of trimming down the runtime from nearly 72 minutes to Noche del Chupacabra‘s vinyl-ready 46, the songs got bigger. Not necessarily longer, but they do more. The parts work harder. Guitarist/vocalist Kent Stump, who also recorded the album, leads Wo Fat with vibrant and spontaneous soloing, backed by the weighted rhythm section of bassist Tim Wilson and drummer Michael Walter. Their influences concoct a familiar brew of hard-hitting ’70s rock turned fuzz bastardry, but like the best of the new generation of Heavy bands — Lo-Pan comes to mind as a contemporary comparison point — Wo Fat teach old dog riffage the new trick of kicking your ass.

Tracks like “Descent into the Maelstrom” and “Common Ground” blend the catchy choruses of Psychedelonaut‘s high-point material with Stump‘s increasing focus on a live-sounding presentation. In the interview that follows, the guitarist discusses his ethic going into recording Noche del Chupacabra, the process by which Wo Fat writes their songs, signing the deal with Nasoni, the source of his jazz influence, and much, much more.

Unabridged Q&A is after the jump. Please enjoy.

I know it’s been two years, but it seems really quick since the last release. When did you guys start writing for Noche del Chupacabra?

It was probably before we even finished the last one. Probably right as soon as we finished, which is kind of how it always works. As soon as we get done, I can kind of leave all that behind and start thinking about new stuff, and we usually immediately start working on that. We were able to get this one done a lot quicker than the previous one anyway. It seems kind of fast to me too, thinking about it.

Was there some change in how you recorded it that made it go quicker?

The whole recording process for us always takes a long time because of the situation at the studio. I work at a recording studio, and so we basically record when there’s off time at the studio, when there’s nothing going on. Sometimes that ends up keeping us from being able to get anything done for months (laughs), but this last time, I don’t know, it just worked out schedule-wise and we were able to keep working at a fairly regular pace and we were just able to get it done. Also, it’s half as much music, time-wise, as what we’d done before. That helped make it a lot quicker too.

That was something I wanted to ask about, the shorter runtime. How did that come about?

We started out originally with the goal of being able to release it on vinyl. This was before Nasoni released Psychedelonaut on vinyl. We’d come to terms with the fact that we were just going to have to pay for it ourselves, to put it out on vinyl, and we didn’t want to have to do a double record, so we just made the decision to make it all fit on a record. I think that actually was a good thing. It challenged me to be a little more concise. I didn’t feel like I had to try and get every single idea that I had on there. And of course, it ended up working out with Nasoni, that we didn’t have to pay for it, because we worked out the deal with Nasoni and it was a really cool thing.

How did that deal come about?

John Perez of Brainticket put out Psychedelonaut for us. He’s got a long history and friendship with the Nasoni people, and I guess he had sent them a promo of Psychedelonaut, and they contacted him last May, asking if we’d be interested in releasing it on vinyl – because John didn’t have any plans to do that with Brainticket and we couldn’t afford to do it ourselves – and Nasoni really dug the record and wanted to put it out on vinyl. We were like, “Yeah, totally. We’d love to do that!” We were already in the process of recording Chupacabra at that point, and things worked really well with Nasoni, and they expressed interest in doing the new record, and we were like, “Yeah, totally. Let’s do it.” CD and vinyl. It worked out great. And, you know, the whole Nasoni thing – we were looking to get a little more international distribution and credibility, and it was cool to be hooked up with Nasoni, which was a little more of a psychedelic/jam-ish vibe. We were headed in that direction a little bit ourselves, anyway.

I think there’s an interesting balance of that kind of stuff on the album. Psychedelonaut was more straightforward heavy rock, but on this one, you have the title track that’s all jammed out, and I thought the songs in general on Noche del Chupacabra were more open.

Yeah. I think we were definitely going for that. I like the structure of certain things. I like having certain songs structured and riffs structured, but I also like the idea of just expanding beyond that and the openness. I like that open sort of feel, and we’re headed in that direction more and more, I think. I like it (laughs).

Is that something that you deliberately wanted to do after Psychedelonaut, going into the writing for these songs?

Maybe a little bit. I think it’s a natural progression, because we started heading a little bit that way with Psychedelonaut. Just as far as our playing together, we tried to do more jamming and free-form jamming, and there’s also an influence of ‘70s fusion and jazz and things like that that added to the sensibility. We wanted to approach it with a jazz approach to playing rock and roll, if that makes any sense. A lot more improvisation, a lot more space for improvisation, and communication between the three of us playing together, and not being quite as tied down to real strict song structures. The songs are still structured, but when we play live, especially the solo sections, it’s all an open-ended thing, and whenever we feel like the solo’s over, then we’ll look at each other and move onto the next section.

How do you decide, then, when you’re recording, what is the final album version of a song?

With the five songs on Chupacabra, or even the first four, even though there’s an openness as far as the solo sections go, they are structured. The fifth song, “Chupacabra,” we worked on the various different sections and we knew where it was gonna go, but when we recorded it, we just went in and played it, maybe twice, and picked the best take. It unfolded naturally and it’s just a communication between the three of us as far as when we would change sections, and it worked out pretty well. But I guess it just ends up being a thing of what feels right at the time and when we listen back and say, “Ah, that take had a good vibe.” Really, we’re going for what feels good and feels like it has a good vibe to us.

Was anything on Psychedelonaut done that way, or was that all more rigidly structured?

For the most part it was, except for the very last song, “The Spheres Beyond,” which actually was almost completely improvised in the studio and then we added some other tracks to it. Trying to remember. We had a really, really sparse structural idea for it, but for the most part, that was basically just an improvisation in the studio that we added parts to after the fact. So that, I guess, was the beginning of pursuing or going down this more jazz-like road.

Where does that jazz influence come from? Is that you, or is it a whole-band thing?

It’s probably me. It’s definitely a lot me, because I do come from a jazz background in a sense. I’ve listened to jazz and been interested in improvisational music for my whole wife, although Michael, our drummer, and I were both jazz majors at UNT a long time ago, so there is that aspect of it. Yeah, I guess it’s probably all three of us, really, but we all listen to a lot of different types of music. Jazz is definitely an influence that creeps in more and more. But at the same time, we don’t want to be jazz, we don’t want to play jazz. We want to have that mindset but still play heavy rock and roll. Trying to figure out how to coalesce the two can be difficult. After Psychedelonaut, I was pushing Michael to approach his drumming like a jazz drummer, but still playing with the force and the heaviness and everything else like a rock and roll drummer, and you know, that’s a hard thing to figure out. I didn’t necessarily have a specific thing in mind to tell him what to do, it was just like (laughs), “It’d be cool if we could figure out how to make these two things the same.” And really, to me, that’s what Mitch Mitchell and Jimi Hendrix – they had that sort of thing. Mitch Mitchell seems like he was almost like a jazz drummer, the way he approached things. Ginger Baker too. Take that, but make it heavier. How do we do that?

How is it for you recording your own band? Do you have to step outside the guitar and the singing to work as an engineer/producer?

It’s pretty hard, actually. It’s hard to be objective about certain things. Because I end up obsessing about every aspect of it. I obsess about the sound. I obsess about the performance. The good thing, especially with this record, is Michael and Tim – and this is sort of the progression from Psychedelonaut – have taken on more of a role in producing, helping me not to become too obsessed in the studio (laughs). Helping in the decision-making process, with cutting vocals and things like that, it’s nice to not have it all be on me. And I think sometime maybe it would be cool to have somebody else record us, but then I think, would I actually be able to give up enough control to do that? I don’t know. I think it would be a cool experience to have somebody else do it. Just to take that responsibility off of me.

Is there anyone you’d really like to work with?

Joe Barresi has always been a favorite of mine. He did the Kyuss records. He did Fu Manchu and a bunch of stuff. I always liked Jack Endino a lot, too. Those are the guys that come to mind first, but I’m sure there’s more if I thought about it.

Thinking of Michael and Tim taking on more of a role in the recording, how much does everyone play into the writing and putting the songs together?

For the most part, I’ll come up with almost a finished song idea, and then we’ll flesh it out together in rehearsal. For this last album, Michael actually wrote one of the songs himself, and he came in and sang what he wanted the riffs to be, and showed us what he was thinking and we worked it out together. That was the first time that anybody other than me had actually written a song. It was a nice thing to have another perspective, another voice, bringing something in like that. It was cool.

But aside from the last track, which is everyone jamming, it was basically you writing it?

Yeah.

Do you prefer it that way, or is it just how it’s come together working with Michael and Tim?

I think it’s been that way just because I kind of got the ball rolling in the first place when we first started as a band and had an idea of what I wanted to do. I think as we play together more and grow more and more to be on the same page musically, probably in the future, they’ll be bringing more ideas in and contributing more of their own vision to the overall thing, which I think is a great thing.

And at the same time, that kind of allows you to branch out further, musically.

Yeah. It’s nice to have other people coming up with riffs, because sometimes I feel like I can get in a rut and come up with the same kinds of things over and over (laughs). It’s nice to have other voices adding to that.

Talk about layering in the recording process. It seems like there’s a lot of layering in the guitars and I thought I heard some extra percussion on the last track. How much of that comes from you as a producer?

As far as additional guitars, Chupacabra probably has the least additional guitars of all three records. Basically it’s just two guitar tracks and one of the two tracks will have solo parts on it. That was a conscious decision, keeping more of a live-band feel to it, rather than having a guitar popping out of nowhere and then it goes away. But as far as the percussion goes, there is a lot of other percussion. The intro to “Chupacabra,” the last song, that whole first half of the song was influenced by African rhythms and some African music that I’d listened to, and also a little bit of John Coltrane vibe in there too, but because of the African rhythms we were doing – Michael and I are both fans of African music and he’s a great percussionist. So we were like, “Man, let’s put some African percussion, congas and shakeray and some other African stuff.” We stuck it on there and I wasn’t sure how it was gonna turn out with the heavier guitars, and it was a challenge to mix it. I think it turned out pretty cool. What I was afraid of – I didn’t want it to sound like Santana. I mean, I love Santana, but I didn’t want to come across as cliché as, “Oh, this is just a Santana ripoff.” I don’t feel like I get down like that, but yeah. There’s a lot of percussion going on there. Some of it you almost don’t even really notice.

Some of it’s pretty far back in the mix, but I think you get the vibe that it’s there, and I didn’t get Santana from it at all.

(Laughs) Good. That’s good. You never know when you start adding percussion.

What’s planned as far as touring? You mentioned before wanting better distribution in Europe. Is there any chance you guys are going to head over there?

We are definitely hoping to go to Europe sometime soon. That’s a big goal that we have, and we’re hoping – it would be a shorter tour if we were to do that – but the problem is we’re all locked down to regular full-time jobs, so any kind of long-term touring is probably not in the future. We do hope to maybe do a couple weeks or a month or something in Europe at some point. We are going to play Doom in June in Las Vegas this June.

In the meantime, what are you guys doing next? You said you already started writing?

Yeah, we’re gonna start working on new songs. We finished the mixing and mastering of everything in mid-December, I guess, and it was a nice feeling. Once it’s mastered and I’ve approved it in my mind, I can let go of it and start thinking about other stuff. So, that’s a nice feeling (laughs).

Do you see yourself sticking to that more live feel next time around?

I think so. It’s the natural progression of where this band wants to go.

Wo Fat’s website

Nasoni Records

That’s what comes through most about Wo Fat on Noche del Chupacabra. Three albums in and this five-track collection has the energy and creative feeling-outness of a debut. In a good way. It isn’t that Wo Fat – guitarist/vocalist Kent Stump, bassist Tim Wilson and drummer Michael Walter – sound like they don’t know what they’re doing. Quite the opposite. They proved on several infectiously memorable songs from Psychedelonaut that they were more than capable songwriters with a strong grip on an intended (and achieved) aesthetic. With Noche del Chupacabra, they’re merely expanding that sound, refusing to get formulaic, challenging themselves. Comparing superficially Noche del Chupacabra with its predecessor, the newer release is some four tracks shorter and 45 minutes as opposed to nearly 72. Perhaps the trimming down was done to allow for the potential of a vinyl release, but there’s no getting around the difference. At the same time, the songs in general seem longer here. Opener “Bayou Juju” and “Descent into the Maelstrom,” which follows immediately, run 7:26 and 8:20, both times which were met and surpassed by the second album, but Wo Fat go beyond anything they’ve ever done with the epic 15-minute instrumental closing title track. The shortest cut on Noche del Chupacabra is third and centerpiece cut “Common Ground” at 6:41, and that might also be the most straightforward – Stump making the most of an excellent riff and the solo flourishes that truly do more to distinguish lead players from those who just follow the rhythm and are too rigidly within the song – but more importantly, when Wo Fat execute “Bayou Juju,” which on most records would be considered “extended,” it doesn’t feel long.

By that I mean it’s not that you’re left to wade through a five-minute ambient part or a purposeless extended jam. Stump takes his fair share of solos throughout Noche del Chupacabra, and maybe begins to lose his way before the five-minute mark on fourth cut “Phantasmagoria,” but there’s nothing gimmicky about the material, and nothing feels out of place within the context of Wo Fat’s songwriting; they just take their time to make sure the song does what it should. Though it’s generally Stump in the lead, Wilson and Walter also contribute much to the rampant success of Noche del Chupacabra, Wilson reviving the above-noted “Phantasmagoria” when he reins in the guitars and matches Stump move for move on one of the offering’s best interplays. And certainly on the first two tracks, which seem to echo the unflinching catchiness of Psychedelonaut even as they go beyond the approach, Walter’s transitional ease is a major factor in setting the groove. “Descent into the Maelstrom” has Noche del Chupacabra’s best chorus – ripe for an immediate song-along – but without the drummer’s backing vocals, it wouldn’t be half as effective as it is. “Bayou Juju” starts questionably but soon picks itself up and sets the standard high for what follows, giving a glimpse of the Scissorfight-style megaphone spoken backing vocals (and the riff too, I suppose) that made the difference on so many of that unfortunately defunct outfit’s songs.

When it comes to the closer – its massive, 15-minute sprawl led straight into by “Phantasmagoria” – it seems almost like Wo Fat are working with competing impulses. Extra percussion and spacier guitar speak to an uptick in the jammy feel, which is a switch from the crispness their songwriting generally has. That being one of their great strengths, I’m not sure how I feel about the trio dedicating a full third of their album to working directly against it… until about nine minutes in, when Stump’s guitar fuzz overdrives a solo before meeting once again with Wilson’s bass and Walter’s stomping drums and I realize that the 10 minutes in which I’ve just completely lost myself have been a gradual build and I’m now experiencing the payoff. Stump, who also recorded and mixed Noche del Chupacabra, leads the band through a slower, and soon, noisier, closing section, and I find I’m more than willing to buy what Wo Fat are selling in terms of their growth over the last two years. What they effectively do on the song “Noche del Chupacabra” is balance the heaviness of the prior four works (and two albums, if you want to extend it) with a gritty, almost definitively American, psychedelic range. I might have liked to have some vocals for an anchor somewhere throughout, but there’s no arguing that the experiment is a victory for Wo Fat and anyone willing to give Noche del Chupacabra the undivided attention the album is practically demanding. It was obvious after Psychedelonaut that these guys could be a serious factor in the future of US heavy, but Noche del Chupacabra is confirmation: Wo Fat have arrived, and that future is now.

Wo Fat’s website

Nasoni Records

The trio’s second full-length, Sine Qua Non, continues the mission of paying tribute to fallen band comrade Glenn Riley Elliott, and what Elliott’s Keep do through this collection of songs is basically establish themselves as a band with a distinct sound within the world of doom. By upping the level of black and death metal influence from 2008′s In Medias Res debut, they carve a niche for themselves in a crowded Texas scene by brazenly taking on forms of extremity most bands wouldn’t dare touch. Oh yeah, and it’s heavy too.

More than it being simply heavy, though, what I enjoy most about Elliott’s Keep is the spirit behind the music and the obvious passion in playing it. Sure, they’re skilled songwriters, but the band strikes me more as friends who enjoy playing together than career-driven musicians looking to get as big as possible in the music industry. And isn’t that what doom is all about? Getting together with your buddies, playing killer heavy tunes and having a good time? How could it be anything else?

Guitarist Jonathan, bassist/vocalist Kenneth and drummer Joel have refined and intensified their approach, showing growth in both musicianship and consciousness, but honestly, given all the links above, I’ve probably said enough about Sine Qua Non. It’s time to give someone else a turn. Jonathan takes the conch in the interview to follow, providing answers as sincere as Elliott’s Keep‘s music to questions about their writing process (unlike most bands, the riffs do not necessarily come first), recording the album, working with Brainticket Records head John Perez of Solitude Aeturnus, who also provides a guest solo on Sine Qua Non, and much more.

Q&A is after the jump, as ever. Please enjoy.

Take me through the Elliott’s Keep writing process. Where do the song ideas come from and how much is everyone involved? At what stage do the lyrics come into the arrangement?

Our writing process is a group effort. We always start with the lyrics. They supply the mood of the song and are a roadmap for the various song sections. Often, the vocal melodies come early in the process as well.

Usually, one of us brings a guitar riff or drum part and then the others build on it. With the input from the other band members and the sounds of the other instruments, the original idea evolves and we record the end result. We have many different sections in each song, so this process is repeated many times – usually over several months.

We keep the best parts and discard the weak ones. If we like a part, but it ends up not fitting a given song, we move it to another working song project or bank it for later use. In “Fearless,” for example, there is a section that we loved but that did not fit into a prior song. With patience, it found its proper place and it is a core section of “Fearless.”

The arrangement process is ongoing from the beginning. When we recognize that we need a part of a certain mood to fit between two developed parts, we set about writing a part of the needed style, such as a fast double-bass part or an old-school doom riff, to meet the needs of the song.

Our lyrics are usually based on stories that we create. The subject matters are things that are interesting to us, such as history and fantasy. Often the protagonist faces a life challenge that we all experience, such as dealing with fear or loss or questions about the meaning of life. Strong emotions are a significant part of our lyrical approach.

We really enjoy the writing process and look forward to entering that phase again soon.

How was it working with J.T. Longoria again? Was there something in particular that made you want to go back to Nomad Studios?

We had a great experience with J.T. and Nomad in recording In Medias Res. Our plan all along was to return to Nomad to record the new album.

J.T. is a real pro. He has excellent musical and technical skills, and a great ear. Although our songs are locked-down when we hit the recording studio, J.T. has always been a great resource for us in the recording process. It is always fun working with him and we had many laughs together along the way.

You guys really seemed to up the intensity level this time around, especially in Ken’s vocals. Is that just what came out of the songwriting, or was there a conscious decision to play up that side of the band?

The intensity came about naturally. We learned a great deal in the writing and recording of the last record. From the beginning, we had a clear idea of what we wanted to accomplish.

Tell me about putting together the album’s art. The design for Sine Qua Non has a lot in common with In Medias Res in terms of font, the layout/alignment of the text on the back cover, etc. How much was the direction of the artwork meant as an extension of the last album?

Joel gets the credit for the artwork. We are of the “old-school” mindset that an album should have cool accompanying art. As to the consistency of the overall layout, that is a reflection of our personalities. We like that. We want all of our albums to have consistency — like matching volumes in a set of books.

Even the album titles are similar, both being three-word Latin sayings. What does Sine Qua Non mean to the band?

Sine qua non means “without this, (there is) nothing.” For everyone who really loves music, music is an essential part of our lives. It is not a passive thing. It is a dominant part of life. Without it, life would not be nearly as meaningful. For us, our band and songs have that same significance. They are a dominant part of our lives.

Is Sine Qua Non intended as a sequel musically to In Medias Res? If so, what do you think about the growth that’s evident between the two albums?

Yes, our intent was to progress and advance the same elements that comprise our musical core. I expect that will always be our mindset. From the beginning of writing Sine Qua Non, we set about to raise the bar and write even better songs. We will continue to push ourselves that way going forward. We are very proud of the end result of Sine Qua Non.

How has it been working with John Perez at Brainticket, and how was it bringing him into the studio to record on “Shades of Disgrace?”

John is great. Obviously, he is doom royalty and Solitude Aeturnus is the gold standard. John is a very genuine person, with a great passion for music. He has been a friend for two decades and I have greatly appreciated being able to talk him about band and music industry subjects. We appreciate his support and are greatly honored to have him play on the record. The day he recorded his solo is another great memory for us.

It seems like every year the Texas heavy underground gets more vibrant. What’s your assessment of the scene down there? Are bands too spread out to really come together, or is there a community of like-minded acts?

Texas is a very big place and I can only intelligently comment about the Dallas/Fort Worth area. There are a number of great doom/stoner bands here and there is great camaraderie amongst us. However, I can give one recent example of the “coming together” of “like-minded acts” across the state. Our friends in Project Armageddon from Houston came up to play a show with us and Orthodox Fuzz this past weekend. It was a killer show and a time of doom-brotherhood that really embodies what the underground is all about. That sense of music community, whatever the geographic region, really makes it all worthwhile.

How was Dallas Doom Daze this year?

Dallas Doom Daze is always a great time for the doom music community to come together to embrace the music that we all love. We were honored to play again and to be with old friends and meet new ones. Our good friend, Justin [“Jötun”] Delord, of Kin of Ettins, is the man behind the festival and he deserves many accolades for carrying the standard of doom.

Any other plans or closing words you want to mention?

We thank everyone who has sent a kind word our way. That support is very meaningful to us. We create our music because we love doing so, but knowing that it resonates with others is extremely satisfying. We encourage everyone out there to let us hear from you.

Elliott’s Keep on MySpace

Brainticket Records

With just four songs totaling just under 20 minutes of material, Doomed in Dallas is the kind of no-frills release that typifies the American approach to traditional doom. Taking two tracks from last year’s Tears for Lost Ages full-length (also Red Hare), the title track of this year’s Snake Den Time single and the previously-unaccounted-for closer “Echoes in the Deep,” the EP was captured to tape March 19, 2010, at the Skillman Street Bar, where that night Kin of Ettins shared the stage with Solanum, Pagan Assassin, Lotus Sutra, The Gates of Slumber, Struck by Lightning, Black Tusk, Black Cobra and Weedeater. A packed evening, to be sure, and maybe that’s why Kin of Ettins only had a 20-minute set to show off their doomly wares. In any case, they do the best with it they can, and the recording sounds crisp and definitely live, but with a decent balance of roughness and clarity.

Led by guitarist/vocalist Jötun and lead guitarist Buddaen, the pace of Doomed in Dallas is set on opener “Watchman and Wanderer” from Tears for Lost Ages, and that pace is s-l-o-w. Jötun and Buddaen sound like Pepper Keenan-era C.O.C. played at three-quarter speed, and liberal feedback is strewn throughout the songs, although that’s not to say the six-stringers aren’t right in the pocket with the rhythm section of bassist Donar and drummer KC, because they absolutely are. It’s a live recording, though. One can hope to get a decent representation of the sound, and that’s basically what Doomed in Dallas delivers. “Waking Memory (Mountains)” keeps the plodding tempo of the opener, until slowing it even further, and setting up the more rocking “Snake Den Time,” the catchy riffing of which sits well under Jötun’s memorable chorus. And as a display of their latest material, “Echoes in the Deep” matches well the grandiose feel of the earlier tracks with heavy chugging and a Type O Negative-style vocal inflection.

Like many of their Texas cohorts, Kin of Ettins aren’t necessarily revolutionizing their genre, but if Doomed in Dallas confirms anything, it’s the strength of both the band and the scene that produced it. Even before hearing the EP, I know what Dallas doom sounds like, and that’s a huge step in the scene’s establishing itself. If you’ve never encountered either Kin of Ettins or the Texas brand of heavy, Doomed in Dallas is as good a starting point as any, since it represents proudly the riff-led heritage that has inspired so many of these acts and also gives hope of future works to come with its closer. Quality traditional doom, made in America. Doesn’t ask much by way of indulgence and leaves a mark on its way out. I can’t think of anything more to ask from it than that.

Kin of Ettins

Red Hare Recordings

And yet, a lot of the mission seems to have stayed the same. The look of the two albums is similar down to the fonts used and the layout of the back covers. Both have medieval-themed artwork (though I prefer the deep reds of the new album), Latin titles, production credited to J.T. Longoria at Nomad Studios in Dallas with mastering by Gary Long. Hell, if you stand In Medias Res and Sine Qua Non next to each other, even the logos and titles on the spines line up. Obviously, the trio of Ken, guitarist Jonathan and drummer Joel (who seem to prefer first names only) weren’t looking to revolutionize their approach, and that holds true for the music as well, though right from the start with the pummeling alliterative back-to-back heaviness of “Fearless” and “Fate,” Elliott’s Keep show their songwriting has matured. Both tracks top eight minutes both hold attention well, and with a guest solo from Solitude Aeturnus guitarist/Brainticket head honcho John Perez on the emotionally tortured 7:50 “Shades of Disgrace,” you’re 25 minutes through Sine Qua Non before you even know it.

If there’s a better example of Elliott’s Keep’s maturation as a band, though, it’s a track like “Witchburning,” and that’s because it’s mostly without flash, without flourish, just straightforward traditional doom musically, topped with Ken’s varied vocals. Yet, Elliott’s Keep prove so much more intense in the six minutes of this one song, Joel moving from ping grooves to sub-blastbeats with each while Jonathan glides from sinister riff to sinister riff. Ken’s growls and screams are expertly arranged on top of the music, and while it’s the balance of this approach with a more traditionally doomed melodic side that keep the listener guessing through the first couple tracks, an all-out blistering song like “Witchburning” has Elliott’s Keep genuinely straddling black and death metal while still retaining their doom edge, which comes out even more on the immediately-following “Damned,” where Ken switches back to the melodic singing for a harrowing tale of loss.

It’s the little things. Smart sequencing, smoother transitions, a livelier all around feel (now that I say that, maybe these aren’t little things at all) that make Sine Qua Non stand out. Elliott’s Keep have paid attention to In Medias Res, and it wouldn’t surprise me if at some point the three members sat down — perhaps even with Longoria — and discussed what they wanted to do differently this time around. You’d be amazed at what a difference that kind of thing can make. Even a song like “Maleficar Validus,” which doesn’t necessarily add anything new to Sine Qua Non in terms of style, is less a lull than a confirmation of the band’s prowess because it’s so well done. Ken’s vocal confidence leading the way, Jonathan and Joel have less pressure to hold up the band on their own, and are freer to set the utterly blear atmosphere of the album.

The closing duo of “Beloved” and “Darkest Corner,” totaling a little under 14 minutes between them, begin to show more of the formula Elliott’s Keep are exploiting for Sine Qua Non, but there’s no real dip in the quality of the material. It’s an album that’s going to take some digging into — a grower — but I think with time doom heads can appreciate the fresh approach these Texans are brining to the well-established characteristics of the genre. Elliott’s Keep weren’t revolutionizing doom on In Medias Res, and they’re not revolutionizing doom here (I’d argue that’s not the intent), but what Sine Qua Non proves is they’re a band able to offer an individualized interpretation of doom without getting caught up in pretense or sacrificing memorable songwriting. I liked In Medias Res. I like Sine Qua Non better. It’s a more realized album all around, and as the title suggests that “without this, there is nothing,” I can only respond that Elliott’s Keep’s time is well spent.

Elliott’s Keep, “Fearless” from Sine Qua Non
Fearless

Elliott’s Keep on MySpace

Brainticket Records

I enjoyed In Medias Res, don’t get me wrong, but the subtle change in approach puts Elliott’s Keep and Sine Qua Non in a different category entirely. They might still be traditional doom, but they’re refining the tradition instead of working within it. Once you hear the song, you’ll understand the difference.

And about that: The Obelisk couldn’t be more thrilled to bring you the opening track from Sine Qua Non, called “Fearless.” Stream it in high quality on the player below and get filled in on the info from the band’s MySpace:

Fearless

We recorded again at Nomad Studios in Carrollton, Texas, with J.T. Longoria (Solitude Aeturnus, RobertLowe – Candlemass, Concept of God, Absu, King Diamond) at the helm.

As with our initial 2008 release — In Medias Res — Sine Qua Non will be issued on John Perez’s Brainticket Records. We are honored that he makes a special guest appearance with a guitar solo on the track “Shades of Disgrace.”

The title Sine Qua Non is Latin for “Without This, Mothing,” meaning, “Without this part of my life, the rest is meaningless.”

He sends along the following:

John Perez, doom lord of Solitude Aeturnus, has recorded a guitar solo for the new Elliott’s Keep album, Sine Qua Non. Sunday, John joined us at Nomad Studios, where we have been tracking the new record, to lay down a solo on the song “Shades of Disgrace.”

As an update about the recording of Sine Qua Non, with the completion of the bass tracking Sunday, all of the music has been recorded. Vocal tracking will get underway in a series of sessions which should commence in a week or so.

Guitarist Jonathan sent a note via the rarely-used ObeliskSpace to give the following update:

Just sending a shout out to update you regarding our band. We are headed back to Nomad Studios to record our next album, Sine Qua Non. The title is Latin again and translates to “Without this, Nothing,” as in — without this part of my life the rest would be meaningless. The album will include eight songs and should come in just over 60 minutes.

We will begin recording drums Memorial Day weekend and the entire process will likely be spread across three-to-four months because of work commitments and the like. We are working with JT Longoria again. I can’t say enough good things about him.

We were very fired up to see you mention us in a recent entry about Texas bands that should have been playing the Austin festival. That was very cool for us — thanks much!

Next up for us is the Dallas Doom Daze 3 festival [April 16-18 -- ed.] and we are excited to be playing again this year. Should be great fun.

And to that end, Little Big Horn do just fine. The double guitar of Neff and lead six-stringer Kulmacz (which I’ve been pronouncing as “Cool-Mac-Z,” as though he was a one-man ’90s hip-hop act) riff like the pros do it, while bassist Stu gets down with some Geezerisms — see “Mountain of Pills” — and drummer Landon ups the groove of any given part. There badly needs to be a label picking up these bands. Brainticket can’t do it all on their own, people.

Here’s how easy life is: I said to myself this morning (afternoon) when I woke up, “Hmm, I haven’t done an On the Radar in a while, I think I’ll put one up.” Less than 15 minutes later, I found Little Big Horn via Orthodox Fuzz‘s profile and was good to go. Like Kin of Ettins, they’re a genuine resource when it comes to DFW curiosities. But what an age we live in where at any given moment a hard rocking act like Little Big Horn is only a few clicks away, waiting for anyone who wants to come looking. Astounding.

They’ve apparently got an EP in the works (don’t we all?), or maybe the tracks posted are from it, I don’t really know, but either way, they’re bound to pop up again sooner or later, and in the meantime, radar: they’re on it. Score another one for Dallas.

They began their waltz down the riff-hand path with The Gathering Dark, but Psychedelonaut is a next-level effort the dynamism of which is slow to reveal itself and willingly reverential of the lords of both classic guitar muscle-building and any and all waves of stoner rock. You got your Fus all Manchued and your Goblins are all Orange. Amps too on that last one.

Stump‘s adjoining rhythm section, bassist Tim Wilson and drummer Michael Walter, propel the huge side B jam of “Not of this Earth,” making their presence fully known among the blues-becued licks, but it was the guitarist himself who was kind enough to answer some questions via email about the inspirations behind Wo Fat‘s psych turn, whether or not they’re stoner rock and what can be expected from them in the future (hint: it involves vinyl). Interview and some listening music are after the jump.

Give some background on the band. What?s the Wo Fat story so far?

Wo Fat began somewhere around 2003 or 2004, I think. The original concept was to build from the dark hypnotic blues of Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside and throw in a good helping of Sabbath and Sleep. In some ways it moved beyond that, but we do stay within the realm of a dark deep blues. We jammed very sporadically in the beginning — once every few months. As we were starting to pull some songs together, a friend of mine, Matt Watkins, started playing guitar with us. Matt is a killer guitar player and playing with us the short time that he did influence my own playing tremendously. Unfortunately, Matt moved to Kansas City. For a while he tried commuting from KC for jams, but ultimately that was just not realistic. So then there were three. He does play on three songs on our first record, The Gathering Dark.

One of the cool things about Wo Fat is the fact that we’re all good friends. Rehearsal is as much about hanging out as it is rehearsing. Michael and I have known each other for some 20 years and have played in a number of bands together. Tim played in an improvisational noise band prior to Wo Fat. All three of us have widely varied musical tastes and backgrounds which helps in bringing more depth and perspective to the music.

You?ve said that you went more psych for this album. Was that on purpose or just the way the songs came out when you were writing? Was there something in particular you think might have inspired the change?

I think it was probably a bit of both. I had in mind that I wanted a more “live” feel to this record. I wanted to capture as much live as possible and even though there would inevitably be overdubs, I wanted it to feel like the band playing live, which I think it does. We had also gradually become more jam oriented I think. Open-ended solos, free jams, etc. I had been listening to Earthless, a lot of ?70s fusion (Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock‘s Mwandishi band, Eddie Henderson, etc.) and Tommy Bolin‘s band Energy, and I wanted to incorporate more of that freedom, groove and interplay/communication between players that’s present in music that involves a lot of improvisation. We strove for more freedom of all three instruments, bass, guitar and especially the drums, while still remaining within the context of the overall style.

What is the origin behind ?El Culto de la Avaricia?? Something about that song just makes me think there?s a tale there waiting to be told.

“El Culto de la Avaricia,? or “The Cult of Greed,” is song about unchecked corporate greed told using H.P. Lovecraft-ish imagery. It’s a horror story about CEOs whose thirst for more and more profits at any cost conjures up monstrosities that grow beyond their control and will eventually doom us all. While The Gathering Dark was much more political lyrically, this is really the only political song on Psychedelonaut.

You can really hear a Fu Manchu vibe in the vocals on ?Analog Man,? and that groove is killer. Was there some negative experience with digital recording that inspired the song?

I did have Fu Manchu and Brant Bjork‘s solo stuff in mind for the vocals on “Analog Man.” I guess also lyrically too. Instead of talking about hot rodded cars or something like that, I figured I’d talk about something I know well: recording. I am a recording engineer by day and I spend my days recording, using both analog and digital gear. I don’t know that I’ve had any specific bad digital experience, but I do enough work in both the digital and analog worlds that I truly believe in the superior sound of good analog gear. That’s not to say that great sounding records can’t be made completely digitally, because they can. I think what “Analog Man” is partly about is pushing back against the ever more pervasive virtual world that we live in where everything is a simulation of something that was once real and tangible. It is also arguing against the idea that because something is new, it must be better, which is more and more frequently not the case these days. True craftsmanship and quality work seems to be falling by the wayside and the world of making records is an example of that: mp3s, software plug-ins that are made to emulate vintage gear and analog tape, digital guitar amp simulators that are made to imitate the sound of classic tube amps, etc. If you don’t have the real things to compare them to, then maybe they sound fine, but ultimately they all fall short. That’s why people still pay thousands of dollars for tube amps and that’s why vinyl is making a comeback. In a lot of ways it’s a battle of convenience and expense versus quality. Analog, whether it’s a guitar amp, a recording console or pressing vinyl records is expensive and takes more work. It’s just not convenient.

Since you write the songs, what roles do Tim and Michael play in the creative process? Everyone is credited on ?The Spheres Beyond,? was there something different about how that song was composed? Is it just a matter of who does what while jamming?

Most of the time, I come into rehearsal with relatively complete song ideas, in terms of form, structure, lyrics and riffs. I don’t necessarily have ideas specifically as to what Michael and Tim will play though. They will figure that out as we play the song together, and often parts will change as we hear how things sound and see how the parts lay when we’re actually playing them. Michael and Tim supply me with invaluable feedback on ideas as well.

When we first started, there was maybe less collaboration, but more and more we are of the same vibe. We have some new songs ideas that are based on jams that we have had at rehearsal.

“The Spheres Beyond” was actually a live in-the-studio jam that we then added some more stuff to (like some percussion, B3 and some additional guitar parts). We didn’t have anything worked out in advance other than a vibe as a starting point, so it was completely a band improvisation/collaboration.

How did you come to record yourself? Did you have an idea of what you wanted Psychedelonaut to sound like before you started putting it to tape?

As I said earlier, I am a recording engineer professionally, so it was kind of a given that I would record us. Plus it’s a lot cheaper that way. Sometimes it’s hard to do both, play/perform and engineer. It’s hard to be objective. Someday it would be cool to have a great engineer like Joe Barresi or David Sardy record Wo Fat, but for now, we will do what we can.

I did have some things in mind sonically before we started recording. I wanted it to feel live and urgent. I wanted to get nice thick molten guitar tones. I love the guitar sound on the Bongzilla Gateway album and was trying to achieve something similar. I also had the super fat but still cutting through the mix snare drum sound of Fu Manchu‘s ?King of the Road”(the song) in mind. The King of the Road album as a whole has a really nice analog sound to it that I wanted to achieve also.

Michael really digs the drum sound, especially the overheads, on the Mystick Krewe of Clearlight record, so we also were keeping that in mind.

What does the Hammond add to the sound of the band?

Man, I love the sound of the Hammond B3 organ! It definitely adds more of a ?70s vibe to things. Who doesn’t love the sound of those sweet overdriven tubes running through a spinning Leslie speaker? ?I would like to use it more in the future, but maybe with somebody with more skill than I have playing.

Where did the idea for the album art come from? It?s a really cool blend of old and new school styles and it looks like one of those covers you could just stare at for a while. Did you know what you wanted visually?

The front cover was done by a very talented artist named Jessica Beethe. Her style seemed like it would be a great fit for what we were going for, so we commissioned her to create the cover for us. Her art had elements of sci fi and futuristic visions, was somewhat surreal, and she also does cool beasts and dragons. We wanted something vaguely ?70s, kind of psychedelic, kind of sci fi-ish, and something that worked well with the title Psychedelonaut and I think she nailed it. We all love album covers that you can look at for a long time and trip out on. The inside was sort of inspired by the opening sequence of The Andromeda Strain from 1971.

Do you consider Wo Fat stoner rock?

Yeah, I think so. I’m not really offended by the term stoner rock like many people seem to be. Our music is heavily influenced by ?70s rock and we strive to take you on a trip when you listen to it. I also kind of think of our music as roots metal, because we are going way back to the beginnings of metal and using those ideas: the blues, Sabbath, ZZ Top, Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc., to form the basis for our music.

There are a ton of bands in and around Austin, obviously, but what?s Dallas like? I know there?s the Dallas Doom Daze fest. What else is going on down there. Any bands the world needs to know about?

The Dallas music scene as a whole is kind of strange. It’s not what it once was 15-20 years ago and it’s definitely not like Austin. Dallas doesn’t seem to do a good job supporting local original music of any kind. Dallas is a very appearance driven city and I think because of that atmosphere, a lot of people can’t decide for themselves that they dig something unless somebody, like the Dallas Observer, has said it’s cool. Cover bands and tribute bands do well here, which is pretty sad.

There are a couple glimmers of hope though. We have had the Dallas Doom Daze festival the last two years which is put together by a super cool guy named Justin [Delord], who works harder than anybody around here to try and build a stoner/doom/underground metal scene. The festival has been really cool and Justin’s managed to get killer bands from across the country to come and play. Hopefully it will just get bigger and gather more support each year. There are also some smokin’ bands around: Blood of the Sun, Justin‘s band, Kin of Ettins, Orthodox Fuzz, Little Big Horn, Dragna and Jury of Robots, to name a few.

How has it been working with John Perez? How did you get hooked up with Brainticket in the first place?

Man, it has been great so far. John is the coolest guy. I actually met John last year at the first Dallas Doom Daze festival. He started selling our first album, The Gathering Dark, through the Brainticket online store and when we were finishing up recording and mastering Psychedelonaut, we decided to talk to John about releasing it on Brainticket. John is a bit of a legend in this scene and we wanted to have some of the legitimacy and street cred that would come with his name and backing. He dug the record and we made a deal. We were really psyched about the fact that John wants to release Psychedelonaut on vinyl also. Look for that to happen soon.

What are the band?s plans going forward? Any other closing words or details you want to spill?

Our goals right now are to get Psychedelonaut out on vinyl and to try and find a way to go to Europe and play. We are also writing new songs for the next album.

Wo Fat on MySpace

Brainticket