Aug 082019
 

 

If you leave a sick person in one position for too long, unable to move by themselves, the mere pressure of their own weight on the bed will open draining ulcers in the skin. If untreated, the ulcers may penetrate to the muscle and the bone. Some may never completely heal.

Now, take a long, close look at Caroline Harrison‘s cover painting for the debut album of Weeping Sores.

That image, and the band’s name, are of course metaphorical. What comes through in the music of this new album, False Confession, is the sound of other wounds, of damage to the psyche and the soul brought about by other kinds of untreated pressures, some self-imposed, some inflicted as a consequence of abandonment by others, of being left in dire straits and unable to move without help, which never comes or arrives too late. Even when help comes, scars remain.

The title of the opening track on False Confession refers to scars — “Scars Whispering Secret Tongues”. As an opening statement, it makes a stunning first impression, even if you had some inkling of what might happen based on exposure to Weeping Sores‘ self-titled EP released in 2017.

 

 

The song creates a feeling of tension immediately. A feeling of anxiety on the edge comes through in the shrill, feverish dissonance of the guitar, while the crushing, doom-stricken weight in the low end creates a mood that’s bleak and foreboding. As a prelude to the arrival of guitarist/bassist Doug Moore‘s sepulchral roars, the riffing becomes jittery, and Steve Schwegler‘s drumming more explosive. There’s no relent in the bleakness or the tension, even as the music becomes a fast-moving and jolting juggernaut, but the eerie sensuousness of the fluid melody that surfaces within that barrage of sound creates a contrast — and adds introspective feelings of regret and pain.

The song is a multi-faceted experience, notwithstanding its overarching sense of impending catastrophe and irretrievable loss. One of the most striking ingredients surfaces when the tumult briefly abates, making space for Gina Eygenhuysen‘s gorgeous but grief-stricken violin instrumental. Still led by those tragic tones, the music rises toward a summit of tragedy, one that’s both ruinous and sublime, with a somber stateliness in the ascent that’s nonetheless wrenching. The grievous grandeur of the music in these final minutes reaches its summit in a guitar solo that’s at once spectacular and emotionally shattering.

The track ends abruptly, and the follow-on track “Song of Embers” begins in moody yet mystical fashion… but we’ll leave what happens after that to another day. Suffice to say now that False Confession is a remarkable album. It’s very easy to sink into it so deeply that you lose track of time, immersed in its ravages and reveries, captive to its soulful beauty, its crushing desolation, and its bone-mangling, head-whipping intensity — and perhaps also in the grip of your own wounding memories of guilt, heartbreak, despair, and wistfulness that the music brings to the surface.

 

If you happened to skim past the preceding paragraphs and landed here, we’ll repeat the line-up of Weeping Sores:

Doug Moore (Pyrrhon, Seputus) – guitar, bass, vocals
Gina Eygenhuysen (Tchornobog, ex-Hell) – violin, vocals
Steve Schwegler (Pyrrhon, Seputus) – drums

False Confession was recorded and mixed by Chris Grigg (of Woe), and it was mastered by Greg Chandler (Esoteric) at Priory Studios.

I, Voidhanger Records will release the album on September 13th, and you can and should order it now:

PRE-ORDER:
Digipak CD + Digital: https://metalodyssey.8merch.com/
Digital: https://weepingsores.bandcamp.com/album/false-confession

WEEPING SORES:
https://www.facebook.com/weepingsores/

 

  4 Responses to “AN NCS PREMIERE: WEEPING SORES — “SCARS WHISPERING SECRET TONGUES””

  1. This song is fantastic. Actually nothing like I expected based on the members’ other bands (though i don’t know Seputus). It does sound a bit though like the band on the middle guy’s t-shirt. If every song on the album is this good, its going to the end-of-year top list.

    • Can’t wait for you to hear the rest of the album — it’s every bit as good as this opening salvo. And nice call on Steve Schwegler’s shirt, which hadn’t occurred to me. There are a lot of facets to this gem.

  2. That ended way too soon! Can’t wait to hear the rest.

  3. Fan…fucking…tastic!

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