Stitching together some classic, riff-heavy doom in the vein of Black Sabbath with the groove and hooks of Clutch and the punked-up rumble of Motörhead, Widows have spent the last couple of years demolishing the ever-healthy metal scene of their Nottingham habitat and are now ready to make a more menacing mark on the UK at large.
“We moved to Nottingham because it had a reputation for great bands and great shows,” explains guitarist James Kidd. “We’d all grown up listening to Nottingham bands like Iron Monkey, Pitchshifter and Hard To Swallow, and we wanted to be a part of that scene. Since I’ve been here, Nottingham has always been on point with its all-dayers, too; Everything Went Heavier, Hockley Hustle and the Waterfront Festival were all really important points in our journey as a band.”
Becoming one of the most acclaimed bands in their local scene, Widows have managed to underpin their enthralling, balls-heavy sound with a reputation as a fierce live band who implement their no-nonsense roll-call of influences to devastating effect onstage. Unsurprisingly, the riff has led the way from the start.
“There’s plenty of classic rock and stoner, sludge and doom in what we do,” agrees James, “but there’s some undeniable hardcore and punk elements in there, too. If you imagine Clutch, Black Sabbath and Motörhead having a fight, you might be on the right track. As far as our influences in general go, I could give you a list as long as your arm! Clutch, Iron Monkey, Church Of Misery, Kyuss, Baroness… they’ve all been very important to what we do. We’ve had a fair few descriptions of our style of music bandied about over the years, but ‘stoner punk rock’ seems to be the one that’s stuck with us. So, we’re a stoner punk rock band!”
With new album Oh Deer God bristling with heavy metal bangers, and a plan to hit up as many places as possible in the coming months, don’t bet against Widows making a serious dent in the upper echelons of metal’s layered underground scene this year.
“We really want to play as much as possible,” insists James. “We would love to do some festivals this year and it’d be great to tour Europe again, too – we had a blast out there last time. Recording at GodCity or Rancho de la Luna and touring the US has always been the dream for me since day one, though. Regardless, this album has been a while coming, so we’re just looking forward to getting in people’s faces with it.”
You heard the man, people! Somebody book this band now!
SOUNDS LIKE: Catchy stoner riffs sprinkled with punk rock
FOR FANS OF: Black Sabbath, Iron Monkey, Clutch
LISTEN TO: Caffeine And Hatred
OH DEER GOD IS OUT NOW VIA UMC
