UK foursome WIDOWS was formed back in 2008, and released an initial EP named “Raise the Monolith” in 2010. Their debut album “Death Valley Duchess” came two years later, consisting of three of the tracks from their initial EP and six new songs.

As far as musical style is concerned, I guess most would place Widows somewhere inside of or in a related territory to stoner rock or stoner metal. As far as inspirations are concerned this isn’t the trickiest band to figure out, as only a few seconds into this album you’ll know that these guys are familiar with their classic rock history and do know their Black Sabbath pretty well. Although in this case there’s a distinct possibility that this band are directly inspired by bands that again have sought inspiration from Tony Iommi and crew, and Widows does explore a sound and style rather far removed from doom metal actually.

Dark riffs with a distinct bluesy touch is a key feature throughout, and the bass guitar supports them in an appropriate manner, but the pace and intensity used are much closer to punk rock than doom metal in this case. This is high energy stuff through and through, the kind of music that is best suited to a suitably grimy, small venue stage of the kind that makes a good revenue selling beer and where you can still smell that smokers were allowed inside of the premises in the old days. The lead vocals of Adam Jolliffe adds an emphasis to the more punk oriented vibes, his hoarse, raspy and aggressive vocal style would fit right in with any punk band you’d care to name, and takes on a more distinct hardcore expression on occasion as well. In a brief moment he also reveals that he has a fine, clean voice that can be used when needed, so he’s not as one-dimensional vocalist as you might get the impression of on this production.

At this stage Widows haven’t yet managed to create material that contains the subtle details needed to really shine though. Those who enjoy high energy material with monumental, Sabbath inspired riffs will enjoy this one through and through, especially if they also have a soft spot for the punk-tinged approach used here, but this isn’t an album all that inviting for those who desires something truly special. My impression is that Widows is a much more interesting band on stage, presumably after a few beers.

There’s one exception at hand though, and that is the title track. A delicate, sophisticated affair with frail, dark toned instrument details, windy sounds and even some birds chirping, accompanying a spoken word story.  On this production this one truly is the odd one out, emphasizing more careful and tranquil atmosphere of a more introverted nature. As far as I’m concerned this is also the clear highlight of this album, not so much because of the type of song in truth but because there’s room for subtle details here, and on this composition the band showcase that they have the ability to explore also this kind of material. I’ll also briefly mention the initial opening part of Truckules, as the opening chugging riffs and rolling drums of that song was a truly magical experience, and one that probably could have been explored more thoroughly.

My conclusion is that Widows as of 2012 is a band that merits a check by those who generally favors stoner metal, and in particular those who enjoy bands with pace-filled, high intensity material that borrows liberally from Black Sabbath and classic stoner bands, combining those aspects with a noticeable punk rock inspired approach.

My rating: 62/100