If you describe a band as being for fans of “Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath meets Mayhem”, then you’ve got my interest straight away but, that being the case, you best deliver, because it’s a hell of a bold claim to make! Canadian act, Wykan, is the brainchild of guitarist Jeremy Perkins. Formed in 2017, the band’s remit includes psychedelic doom, heavy blues, stoner rock and black metal, and the debut EP, solace, was met with considerable praise for its scope. Here, Jeremy is joined by Barrie Butler (Eohum) on vocals, Corey Thomas (Blackwater Township) on bass and Dug Kawliss (ex-Tempete) on drums, as well as a guest spot from The Agonist’s Simon McKay. Clocking in at twenty minutes, Brigid: Of The Night certainly allows space for the band’s music to breathe and, with its comic book artwork, it captures the imagination immediately.
Opening track, Imbolc (the cleansing) is about the Goddess of Fertility and the Spring ceremonies held in her name. The Pink Floyd is immediately obvious and the dusty vibe makes you long for a vinyl copy. The guitar work is stunning – understated and beautifully played – and the piece builds perfectly to a potent mix of prog melodicism and icy, blackened riffing. It flows beautifully, the band making the transitions between the various influences at a leisurely pace and the whole feels considerably shorter than its seven minute run time. It segues into Breo Saighead , a mix of heavy blues and blackened vocals that, frankly, shouldn’t work and yet, here, sounds like the most natural thing in the world. Another track that seems to roam gracefully through a landscape dotted around with the covers of long lost albums, it’s paradoxically nostalgic and forward thinking at the same time and a fantastic piece of music. It leaves Reul-Luil Bride, the EP’s heaviest (and also shortest) track. With a crunchy, blackened doom riff underpinned by Simon McKay’s mechanistic percussion (think Gene Hoglan levels of precision-based hell), there are still surprises in store with the band taking a stroll into jazz territory just when you thought you had the piece all figured out. Reminiscent of Opeth’s mid-period, it’s perfectly executed and it brings the EP to a brilliant close.
Brigid: Of The Night was everything it promised to be. The gorgeous, Gilmour-esque guitar leads of the opening track, the dark blues and searing black metal of Breo-saighead and the dark, icy doom of reul-luil Bride will leave any discerning metal fan in awe of the band’s grand vision. With plans to release new material every six to ten months, the next work cannot come soon enough. As it is, Brigid: Of The Night is a genuine masterpiece. 9.5
Check out the band’s debut here:
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