Warforged’s new death-metal opus belongs on a shelf with early OpethJ.R. Nelson and Leor Galilon September 6, 2022 at 5:18 pm

In 2019, Gossip Wolf hailed local death-metal crew Warforged for being “wickedly adept at cross-pollination” and described their debut full-length, I: Voice, as blending “ghostly black-metal vocal effects, Bitches Brew-esque jazz riffing, and distended blastbeats.” On Friday, September 9, the band will release their new second album, The Grove/Sundial, via Tennessee label the Artisan Era. Warforged call it the beginning of a new era for them, not least because they’ve switched lead singers since I: Voice—Tim O’Brien has replaced vocalist and keyboardist Adrian Perez. So far this wolf has headbanged through the album several times, growing more impressed with every spin. On standout tracks such as “Sheridan Road” and “Bliss Joined to the Bane,” Warforged swerve between lyrical interludes and flashes of hellish brutality in the blink of an eye, much like fellow genre masters Opeth. 

The Grove/Sundial is available digitally as well as on CD and vinyl.

Gossip Wolf has been eagerly awaiting new music from E. Woods, aka local singer-songwriter Emily Woods, since the four tracks of her 2021 EP Late Night, which are awash with her soulful vocals and powered by blockbuster production from frequent Wyatt Waddell collaborator Marcus Reese. Woods and Reese teamed up again on her new stand-alone single, “Butter Dreams,” which dropped late last month. Woods describes it as a “stream-of-consciousness response to how my younger self . . . moved through romantic relationships.” Her older self sure does know how to write a love song! On Woods’s YouTube page, a video for “Butter Dreams” is scheduled to premiere on Friday, September 9. 

The video for “Butter Dreams” will go live on Friday, September 9.

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Last week, Chicago R&B artist Soso dropped her debut, The Downs. She says the ten-track EP took her several years to complete, and its taut, inviting music wastes no time establishing her as a star in the making—Soso floored this wolf as soon as her gossamer voice touched down on “Baby,” nestling amid skittering percussion, mumbled bass, and solemn keys. Rising Chicago rapper F.A.B.L.E. is one of six producers who helped Soso build the EP, and he drops in on a couple songs too.

The Downs is produced by F.A.B.L.E., Sage P, Kway La Soul, Dylan Lee-Fulcher, Berlo, and Jayex.

Got a tip? Tweet @Gossip_Wolf or email [email protected].

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