Windhand: The Heavy Doom Sound of Richmond
Windhand is a doom metal band from Richmond, Virginia, known for their colossal, riff-driven sound and haunting vocal melodies. Their breakthrough came with the 2013 album Soma, a critically acclaimed release that solidified their status as a leading force in modern doom.
Early career
Windhand formed in 2008, emerging from the fertile underground music scene of Richmond. The original lineup featured Dorthia Cottrell on vocals, Garrett Morris and Asechiah Bogdan on guitars, and Parker Chandler on bass. Their self-titled debut album arrived in 2012 via Forcefield Records, immediately capturing attention with its dense, feedback-laden approach to classic doom metal.
Breakthrough
The band's true breakthrough arrived in 2013 with the release of Soma on Relapse Records. This album, featuring the epic 30-minute track Boleskine, was a monumental statement that received widespread critical praise. While not a mainstream chart success, Soma achieved significant sales within the metal community, establishing Windhand as a major artist on the influential Relapse label.
Key tracks
Forest Clouds — This track from their debut perfectly encapsulates their early sound, blending heavy riffs with Cottrell's ethereal vocals.
Orchard — A standout from Soma, this song showcases their mastery of hypnotic, slow-burning doom anthems.
Two Urns — From their 2015 album Grief's Infernal Flower, this song highlights a refined production and a more melodic, yet still devastating, approach.
Grey Garden — This track from their 2018 album Eternal Return demonstrates their expansion into psychedelic and shoegaze influences.
Diablerie — A later career highlight, this song from their 2022 split with Satan's Satyrs reaffirms their commitment to raw, powerful riffcraft.
Following Soma, Windhand continued to evolve with albums like 2015's Grief's Infernal Flower and 2018's Eternal Return. They have collaborated with notable artists, including a split release with Swedish doom legends Cough and a memorable collaboration with Swedish psychedelic rockers Monolord. The band's consistent output and powerful live performances have cemented their reputation without relying on commercial chart positions.
Fans of Windhand's heavy, atmospheric doom often explore similar artists. Electric Wizard shares a penchant for massive, distorted riffs and occult themes. YOB explores similarly expansive and spiritual dimensions within the doom metal genre. Cough, their Richmond contemporaries, deliver a rawer, filthier take on the same sonic foundation. Monolord offers a comparable blend of crushing weight and melodic sensibility.
Windhand's music is a staple on dedicated metal and hard rock radio stations, particularly those specializing in doom, stoner, and sludge metal. Their albums receive regular rotation on online radio streams that cater to the heavy music underground, ensuring their monolithic sound reaches dedicated listeners worldwide.
You can hear the heavy, immersive doom metal of Windhand on radio stations featured on our website. Listeners can discover their discography, from the raw power of their debut to the expansive sounds of Eternal Return, through the curated metal and independent music radio stations available on onairium.com.
