ALBUM REVIEW: Revival – WyndRider

Emerging from the Appalachian Mountains that surround East Tennessee in 2022, WYNDRIDER – made up of Robbie Willis (guitar), Chloe Gould (vocals), Joshuwah Herald (bass) and Josh Brock (drums) – wasted no time in establishing themselves in the stoner and doom community, debuting almost instantly in 2023 with their self-titled album that focused on subjects such as apocalypse, alien life, the Satanic Panic, and sarcastic dissection of the Christian Church – everything that a doom fan could need. It was a raw, heavy and old school debut that won them plenty of fans, and it even got a few AOTY nods from global music media to boot. Now the Tennessee quartet return with their sophomore album Revival. 

This time around WYNDRIDER focus in on the hopes and horrors of living in the Appalachian Mountains. Appalachian folklore is well known for being eerie, uncanny, chilling and spine-tinglingly frightening, and as a result the region has a heavily Christian ‘good vs. evil’ vibe. Alongside this the band shed a light on the smoke and mirrors of life in the United States Bible Belt. Drawing on influences such as BLACK SABBATH and STEPPENWOLF, WYNDRIDER create a dark and eerie atmosphere that hangs over you throughout the album’s duration. 

In comparison to their debut album, WYNDRIDER have come back with a vengeance. Their performance is tighter, more cohesive and their overall sound feels more settled. It’s more expressive and nuanced than its predecessor, which supports its enigmatic and eerie Appalachian subject matter. There is a reason the four-piece have gained a reputation for being one of the hardest working bands in the scene and Revival is a testament to that. The band also make an effort to lean more into their psychedelic side – demonstrated the best on opening track Forked Tongue Revival – which helps them capture the paranoid, fearful and nervous energy that comes through in Appalachian folklore. 

There is a darker tone to this record, and Gould sings her lyrics from experience. We’ve all heard things about the Bible Belt but to actually live in the thick of this community is a different beast. As such the album is imbued with the band’s rebelliousness and bittersweet realisation that, yes, home comforts, but its suffocatingly small town mentality drives you away. In a way it reminds you of the original ELECTRIC WIZARD trio causing havoc to break out of the sleepy down of Wimborne in Dorset over 30 years ago.

WYNDRIDER have a knack for reviving the old school fundamentals of doom, with big SABBATH-esque riffs augmented with old school blues rock leads and vocals that are reminiscent of bands like COVEN, THE DEVIL’S BROOD and LUCIFER but doomier and more gothic. This creates a degree of nostalgia as well as breathing new energy into the familiar. The slight issue with the album is the vocals aren’t prominent enough in the mixes of some of the songs, which means they get swamped by the guitar, bass and drums. While it doesn’t detract from the overall listening experience it can be hard to distinguish the lyrics.

The album opens up with the aforementioned Forked Tongue Revival which kicks things off with a venomous and spitting BLACK SABBATH riff before taking you on an eerie and trippy journey into the mountains of East Tennessee. This is followed by an anthemic doom anthem in Motorcycle Witches, as Gould unleashes her powerful vocals over Willis’s dizzying ascending and descending bluesy, groove-laden riffs. Judas is a swampy, gritty, groove-laden track driven by a heavy half tempo drum beat. It channels the ostracisation that can come from living within a religious community. Devil’s Den is one of the heavier songs on the album, pulling no punches with a catchy stoner riff that incorporates some traditional rock elements into it, wah pedal solo and all. 

Remember The Sabbath is an eerie doom track that feels like the end of the world caused by an evil ritual gone wrong. Gould’s voice is haunting and sends chills down your spine. You can feel the hooded figures emerge from the darkness in the corners of your room when you listen to this track. Under The Influence feels very much like a stab at indoctrination principles employed by more extreme religious communities. A swaggering, dynamic riff, driving bass and punchy drums send you on a strange trip into the Bible Belt. The album closes with The Wheel, a spooky doom track that finishes the album in apocalyptic fashion. 

WYNDRIDER’s sophomore album shows how hard the band have been working and the potential they have moving forward. Laden with riffs, grooves and enigmatic esoteric themes, they know how to write a solid and engaging doom record. Revival is definitely one to watch this year; can WYNDRIDER back up their previous success? We’ll wait and see. 

Rating: 8/10

Revival is set for release on June 7th via Electric Valley Records. 

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