Formed in 2008, Richmond, Virginia’s Windhand roared off the starting line with a fantastic self-titled debut full of dreary, mood setting storms and a stew of southern doom tinged with the heaviness of sludge. Then came Soma, a step up in production but a side step in delivery, despite the fact it was too long-winded for what it was. Now with their third full length, Grief’s Infernal Flower I truly was hoping for Windhand to either ride the middle line or go back to their roots. Unfortunately, the album did neither and, as a result, misses the mark.

While the trademark heavy sound of even the most standard fare doom metal is here in spades, mostly provided by bassist Parker Chandler (who is also in Cough), the problem is that the album fails to go anywhere. Standard doom metal is all Grief’s Infernal Flower has to offer. Thankfully for the band, the ever present beautiful and mournful vocals from Dorthia Cottrell glue the songs together and keep the album from completely falling into disrepair.

“Two Urns” shows a promising start. Heavy bass lines and thick sounding guitar tones support Dorthia’s vocal lines which are on the melodic side rising and falling as the riffs do the same. Close to the middle of the track the twin guitars have a call and response solo which, as I found out, is one of the few chances for variety Grief’s Infernal Flower offers. “Crypt Key” follows this setup closely but adds an interesting melodic and near hopeful sounding riff and vocal pairing throughout.

“Sparrow” and “Aition” are both acoustic tracks, a formula that worked well on Soma. However, Dorthia had yet to release her stellar solo album which followed that path, so the formula remained a treat for listeners. The two aforementioned tracks would have been a better fit on her solo work. The acoustics and overall mood on both tracks are dark and the vocals shine a light through the fog as only Dorthia knows how to do. Despite that, these tracks, while offering a break in the monotonous routine that surrounds them, do not meld well here.

My personal favorite, despite its excessive length, “Kingfisher” begins with the same old run of the mill riffs but gives way to higher pitched and quicker paced chords midway through the track. For the final minutes of the song the band brings back the psychedelics with echoing instrumentation and slow, yet angular percussion. All while the bass keeps the heavy low end intact to retain the band’s already established, and identifiable, sound. This one is the triumph of the album for the simple fact that it offers something different.

Unfortunately, that’s where everything comes to a screeching halt. The remainder of the tracks fall victim to weakened songwriting which features the same riffs time and again. For me this album would have been a stellar addition to the band’s discography had it been cut to four songs. As it is though, it winds up being just another entry in the doom metal catalog. The bass and Dorthia’s vocals are exceptional but neither is sufficient to sustain the album and give it any staying power.

– Josh

Grief’s Infernal Flower will be available September 18 on Relapse Records. For more information on Windhand visit the band’s Facebook page.