Wino - Punctuated Equilibrium Review
by Mark Hensch
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After having spent more than 30 years redefining the essence of heavy metal in bands like The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Place of Skulls, Spirit Caravan and The Hidden Hand, Scott "Wino" Weinrich is finally giving fans a work which is definitively his own. On this, his debut full-length, Wino travels backwards in time, arriving in an era when heavy metal meant epic riffs layered under soulful growls and walls of guitar fuzz. Though blatantly old-fashioned, Punctuated Equilibrium is a masterful album of thick, relaxing grooves which should please metalheads of any age.
As expected, Wino provides Equilibrium with both its psychedelic shredding and its gruff workingman croons. In keeping with previous outfits like Spirit Caravan and The Hidden Hand, the emphasis here is on seamlessly played stoner metal, the likes of which sounds both primitive and transcendent. Joining Wino in this endeavor are Jon Blank on bass and Jean Paul Gaster on drums; the former is a rhythm abuser from Maryland traditional doom merchants Wretched while the latter currently resides in the hard rocking Clutch. The end result of this combination is an album which retains Wino's storied past while existing as a fresh, futuristic entity.
Given that Equilibrium is Wino's solo debut, it is perhaps surprising that it often stays within what Wino knows best. What this is paranoid, plodding psychedelic metal – think Black Sabbath a bit further into the drugs and fear of the 1970s. Opening cut "Release Me," for example, drifts by with spaced-out guitar licks backed by straightforward, confident riffing. "The Women in Orange Pants," meanwhile, races like a heartbeat on cocaine through hallways of instrumental anxiety, the drums zooming by frantically while the guitars stutter and shake. After this, "Wild Blue Yonder" begins with a traditional guitar jam before exploding into a driving stoner joyride which shows where Kyuss got their genes.
That is not to say that Equilibrium sports nothing but retrogressive metal and wistful memories. The title track, for example, is a speedy cut of sludge which would do High on Fire fans a solid. "Eyes of the Flesh," meanwhile, wallows in a timely gloom, invoking images of a newly-laid off worker drinking himself into the depths of depression. Last but not least, "Secret Realm Devotion" throbs with frightening, irradiated guitars backed by driving percussion and cautionary lyrics.
Given Wino's many contributions towards the heavy metal community over his many decades in the culture, one can be forgiven if he had rested on his laurels with Punctuated Equilibrium. Thankfully, such a moment of dull apathy never occurs and this is an album every bit as powerful as Wino's past work. When a founding father speaks, people generally listen. In this case, the experience is nothing but awesome.
Wino's Punctuated Equilibrium
Release Me
Punctuated Equilibrium
The Woman in the Orange Pants
Smilin' Road
Eyes of the Flesh
Wild Blue Yonder
Secret Realm Devotion
Water Crane
Gods, Frauds, Neo-Cons and Demagogues
Silver Lining
CD Info and Links
Wino - Punctuated Equilibrium Rating:9.0
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