Seriously, hasn't 2018 been great for Metal fans so far? There have been so many epic quality releases so far, and I'll be damned if WINDHAND haven't gone and added another to an already impressive list with "Eternal Return".  Hailing from Richmond, VA, WINDHAND is a top tier Heavy Psychedelic Doom quartet featuring Dorthia Cottrell on vocals, Garrett Morris on guitars, Parker Chandler on bass and Ryan Wolfe on drums. "Eternal Return" is the band's fourth full length release and to my ears, it's easily their best.

The band has had some line-up changes, and while their general sound hasn't changed their much, there seems to be a new confidence present. That new confidence speaks loudly and profound, demanding to be heard. Masterfully produced by Jack Endino (SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA), the album emanates an etherealness and an eeriness throughout its nine songs clocking in at sixty-three minutes. While the production is stellar, it's the band that is creating the magical aura here. Morris places the fuzz laden riffs in all the right places, and rips blistering solos with the appearance of ease. Chandler and Wolfe's foundation is as good as any, and they're the true smoldering embers here, allowing Morris to fill all the other crevices like a fire seeking fresh fuel while they stoke the flames.

Yet, the enchantment would be for naught without the bewitching vocals delivered by Dorthia Cottrell. I love female vocals in general, and Cottrell's vocals throughout "Eternal Return" convince me that Metal needs far more female vocalist. Hell, more female musicians in general, but that's best left for another time. At times strongly reminding me of Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, Cottrell weaves her vocals around the band as if conjuring a spell upon the listener. It's hypnotic, seductive and I simply can't get enough. Consider me willfully spellbound.

Lyrically, "Eternal Return's" songs are reflective and plaintive. If forced to lodge a criticism of the album, I would suggest that at times the choruses can become a bit too repetitive. Fortunately, the grandeur and full scope of the album as a whole easily overcomes this obstacle. Opening with "Halcyon" and closing with "Feather", The listener finds that the time spent in between comes together like an urgent narrative from some all knowing sage desperate to tell their tale. If you need it, there's plenty of heaviness present in "Red Cloud" "Diablerie" as well as the 11 minute "Eyeshine". At the other end of the spectrum, "Pilgrim's Rest" and "Grey Garden" manage to balance beauty and a wistful delicateness, while still regaling in fuzzed-out oblivion. "Light Into Dark" is the proverbial fulcrum of the tale, and instrumental, that rages like a psychedelic acid test, stretching the boundaries of what is real and illusion.

"Feather" is the essential epic here, a perfect culmination that one can't help but visualize as a funeral progression. Clocking in at 13 minutes, the song brings the listener full circle, and drives home an important and memorable final lyric like a blow to the head: "You know I had too, you know I did" . The lyric is dripping with despair, and the flawless, impassioned placement and presentation from Cothrell nearly singlehandedly elevates "Eternal Return" to an enthralling evolution in their progression. WINDHAND's "Eternal Return" manages to capture darkness and light, as well as the chaotic maelstrom that resides churning between the two. The album is out now, and I simply can't recommend it enough. The band is currently touring as well, first here in the US through November, and then in Europe in the spring of 2019.