https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Wino Wednesday: The Obsessed, “Back to Zero” from Lunar Womb

Posted in Bootleg Theater on October 8th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

wino wednesday

An awful lot about Maryland doom can be explained by listening to The Obsessed‘s Lunar Womb. Not everything, obviously, but many of the early-to-mid ’90s groups began putting out albums in the wake of The Obsessed‘s reformation and subsequent to the release of their self-titled debut in 1990, whether it’s Unorthodox (first album ’92), Wretched (first album ’93), Revelation (together since the mid-’80s, first album in ’91), Iron Man (first demo ’88, album ’93) or Internal Void (same). It’s important to remember Pentagram were going at that time with the Bobby Liebling, Victor Griffin, Martin Swaney and Joe Hasselvander lineup and to note the impact that band had on the entire Doom Capitol region, but particularly for coming back after Wino‘s stint in Saint Vitus ended, The Obsessed would have some measure of influence as well, and one that continues to resonate in trad doom today.

Released in 1991, Lunar Womb moved beyond The Obsessed‘s self-titled with a sound that was darker, heavier and more forceful on the whole. Listening to it now, the production is dated — one can hear the ’90s about to happen in the drums — but the material holds up anyway, and “Back to Zero,” which begins side B of the vinyl, is one of the album’s best realized tracks. Bassist Scott Reeder takes a turn at vocals over a driving groove and for a band whose overarching vibe is so straightforward, consistent largely in mood and pace, it’s kind of an unexpected turn. That said, even the first chugs of the intro/verse riff telegraph the fact that, indeed, you’re listening to The Obsessed. The lineup of the band at this point was Wino on guitar/vocals, Reeder on bass and Greg Rogers on drums. Both Reeder and Rogers would later play in Goatsnake as well.

So far as I know, the reunited version of The Obsessed never included “Back to Zero” in a set. Or if they did, there isn’t footage of it out there. Either way, it’s something a little different from them and worth singling out on this Wino Wednesday. Hope you enjoy:

The Obsessed, “Back to Zero” from Lunar Womb (1991)

Tags: , , , ,

Wino Wednesday: The Obsessed, “Brother Blue Steel” Live at Hellfest 2012

Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 13th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

I’ll be perfectly honest with you. My intention was to post a clip of The Obsessed from 1994 for this week’s Wino Wednesday that was filmed in North Carolina. It was two songs and I didn’t recognize the second one. I went through and tried to figure out what track it was, and was reasonably certain it was a different version of “Brother Blue Steel” from 1991’s Lunar Womb (I’ve since revised the hypothesis), but as I was checking out different versions of the song, I stumbled on this one from last year’s Hellfest in France, and I decided it was too good not to run with it.

You can really hear Guy Pinhas‘ bass, but it’s not blown out, and I think my favorite part might be just before a minute and a half in, when someone in the crowd in front of whoever was shooting raises not a glass, but an entire pitcher of beer in The Obsessed‘s honor. I guess that says a lot, but whatever’s left, the lumbering shuffle of the verse to “Brother Blue Steel” most likely has it covered. And if it’s any consolation to someone interested in seeing the clip from North Carolina 18 years earlier — which I’m sure I’ll feature here eventually — I think drummer Greg Rogers is wearing the same hat.

Of all guitarist/vocalist Scott “Wino” Weinrich‘s bands over the years, The Obsessed are still the most straightforward. They’re doom and that’s it. When and if it arrives, a new studio album could carry new twists, but in their initial run, they were never fancy. Spirit Caravan were more stoner, The Hidden Hand were more political, Saint Vitus is a different songwriting process, and everything else is a collaboration of some sort other than the acoustic stuff. Listening to The Obsessed is like looking at a plant’s roots. There may or may not be more colorful parts of the plant, but if you want to know where that plant came from there’s only one place to go.

Enjoy “Brother Blue Steel,” and have a great Wino Wednesday:

The Obsessed, “Brother Blue Steel” live at Hellfest 2012

Tags: , , , ,

Wino Wednesday: The Obsessed, Lunar Womb in Full

Posted in Bootleg Theater on June 12th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Reissued in 2006 on CD through MeteorCity and vinyl through 20 Buck Spin, the 1991 Lunar Womb sophomore outing by The Obsessed still seems underappreciated on repeat listens. It was the recorded debut of the lineup of drummer Greg Rogers, bassist Scott Reeder and guitarist/vocalist Scott “Wino” Weinrich — then winding down his tenure with Saint Vitus following the release of V in 1990 — and indeed the only album this trio would put out. By the time The Obsessed got around to releasing the follow-up, 1994’s The Church Within, Reeder was long since departed to Kyuss and replaced by Guy Pinhas.

Reeder winds up a major contributor to Lunar Womb, whether it’s his bass coming to the fore on the later “No Mas” or his taking lead vocals on second track “Bardo” or side B’s “Back to Zero,” but the album is best taken as a whole and on that level, it’s easy to see how it became so central to the blueprint of modern traditional doom. From Wino‘s dreary riffing on the title-track to the faster rush of “Spew” and the ultra-primitive “No Blame” to the muffled heartbeat noises that cap closer “Embryo,” the completeness of Lunar Womb as both an overarching flow of songs and a collection of individual standouts isn’t to be overlooked.

It’s easy to argue the enduring appeal of Lunar Womb and its tracks is part of why The Obsessed have been able to reunite to such fanfare at fests like Roadburn and this year’s Maryland Deathfest (video posted here). With production from the band along with Mathias Schneeberger and the striking Saturn Devouring His Son (circa 1819) cover art by Spanish painter Francisco de Goya, the album taps into a timeless sphere of doom that’s perhaps even more resonant with 22 years of hindsight than it was at the time. After hosting the band’s 1990 self-titled debut a couple weeks back, it seems only fair to give some follow-up.

Here’s The Obsessed‘s Lunar Womb in its entirety. Enjoy and have a great Wino Wednesday:

The Obsessed, Lunar Womb (1991) in Full

Tags: , , , , , , ,