Aboleth Premiere “Wovenloaf” Video; Benthos out Next Month
Just over a year ago, when it was announced that Los Angeles heavy blues bruisers Aboleth had signed to producer Ulrich Wild‘s WURMgroup imprint, word was they’d soon be recording a new EP. Well, apparently at some point in the line there was something of a burst of creativity, because the EP has turned into an LP and on May 25, the trio will issue Benthos, their debut album. It’s the successor to their first release, EP-1 (discussed here), which came out in 2016, and finds the standout track from that release, “No Good,” included among a total of 10 songs hitting the 40-minute mark with a striking LP’s fluidity and variety of approach. To wit, opener “Wovenloaf” is a heavy as hell riff cruncher laced with enough attitude to sell it in dimebags, while “Shark Town Blues” and “The Devil” are acoustic numbers intended to showcase the inner-Joplin of vocalist Brigitte Roka.
And to be sure, Roka has one. As producer, Wild is known for working with larger commercial acts, but he’s got enough sense to leave in the grit, the pops and the throatiness of Roka‘s voice without cleaning it up too much. Likewise, there’s little throughout songs like the desert rocking “Glass Cutter” and the boozy “Vinny Gets Arrested” to hold back either 
the tone of Collyn McCoy, whose combo bass and guitar — which he suitably enough calls a baguitar — comes to the project from the rhythm section of The Ultra Electric Mega Galactic and Trash Titan, or the impact in the drumming of Marco Minnemann, who since appearing on the record has been replaced by Boll3t, which I’m just going to assume is the name of a person who plays drums. Fair enough.
“Wovenloaf” is both the opener and longest track on Benthos — immediate points — and in its groove it highlights a lot of the dynamic that works throughout the album, but it doesn’t necessarily tell the whole tale. Other tracks derive more from classic heavy rock, grunge, and, as noted, the blues, but among the elements “Wovenloaf” has in its favor is its meld of weighted riffs and boldly-delivered melody. Unsurprisingly, the sound is crisp in terms of the production, but by no means is it staid or too polished. That’s true of the record as a whole: it finds balance enough to still be dangerous as it needs to be.
I’ve been curious to hear what Aboleth would do with a full-length since EP-1 came down the line, and sure enough they establish a place for themselves between and amid a host of styles while crafting a fluidity that carries across all of them and still sticks its middle finger in the air at pretty much anyone and anything with eyes to see it.
Aboleth have tour dates starting next month as well. You’ll find those and more info from the PR wire directly under the video, which follows here.
Please enjoy:
Aboleth, “Wovenloaf” official video premiere
Brigitte Roka on “Wovenloaf”:
“Wovenloaf” really captures what we’re about in a nutshell: blues and grit paired with super heavy, sludgy riffs. It’s about people you’ve known for a while who start acting like they’re big shots all of a sudden. And they treat you like they’re too cool for school but you know there’s nothing actually genuine (or, half the time, interesting) about them. This song is also about bread that’s woven together, which (little known fact) Albertson’s bakery does NOT always carry. To make, [the video] was very fun indeed. I’m glad we did this because I think the best way to experience Aboleth is live, and this video is a window into what we’re like when we play, so it showcases the essence of our band pretty well.
Collyn McCoy on “Wovenloaf”:
I love this song. It think it’s where Brigitte and I really found our groove for writing together. I had this dirt-simple, bone-headed riff. But it was deceivingly complex due to the odd time signature. We worked on it in my living room, with Brigitte singing her ideas, both melody and chord progressions, and before we knew it, we had our signature song. It’s actually been part of our live set for a while. Ulrich Wild, our producer, did a great job of capturing our energy while making it heavy and in-your-face. We actually had this very elaborate narrative video planned, but time and logistics got in the way. Not only were we wrapping up our album and planning a tour, but Brigitte was a few weeks away from graduating Art Center College of Design, so she had a very intense grad show to prepare for (in addition to making all our album art and tour shirt designs!). We decided to just let the music do the talking this time around. We filmed it at The Compound, which is an amazing studio in Long Beach with great vibe and a killer live room.
Wovenloaf from Aboleth’s debut album “Benthos,” available May 25th, 2018 on WURMgroup Records:
Order BENTHOS here: http://wurmgroup.bigcartel.com/product/aboleth-benthos
Shot by: Justin Cornell
Produced and Edited by: Wade and Schneider Webb
Special thanks to: Antoine Arvizu at The Compound
filmed on location at THE COMPOUND in Signal Hill, CA: https://www.thecompoundstudio.com/
Produced by Ulrich Wild
Recorded/Mixed/Mastered by Ulrich Wild in The Wilderness
Assisted by Raidar
TOUR DATES:
5/11 – Cincinnati, OH – The Venue Center
5/13 – Braidwood, IL – Top Fuel Saloon
5/14 – Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews
5/15 – Minneapolis, MN – Lee’s Liquor Lounge
5/16 – Sioux Falls, SD – Bigs Bar
5/18 – Lewiston, ID – 3rd Wheel
5/19 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Loading Dock
5/20 – Denver, CO – The Roxy Theater
5/21 – Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room
5/22 – Oklahoma City, OK – Kendells
5/23 – St. Louis, MO – Fubar
5/24 – Clarksville, TN – The Warehouse
5/25 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
5/26 – Orlando, FL – The Haven
5/27 – Margate, FL – O’Malleys
5/28 – Greenville, SC – The Radio Room
5/29 – Fayetteville, NC – Drunk Horse Pub
5/30 – Brooklyn, NY – The Kingsland
5/31 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Smiling Moose
6/1 – Toledo, OH – New Longhorn Saloon
6/3 – Westland, MI – Token Lounge
ABOLETH:
Brigitte Roka – Vocals
Collyn McCoy – Baguitarist, Slide Guitar
Boll3t – Drums
Drums on Benthos performed and recorded by Marco Minnemann
Tags: Aboleth, Aboleth Benthos, Benthos, California, Los Angeles, WURMGroup
