Scott “Wino” Weinrich needs absolutely no introduction to Metal fans. Even if you’re not a fan of any of his bands (The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, Saint Vitus) then you’ve surely at least heard his name mentioned in reverence. His name is synonymous with raw, ugly American Stoner/Doom Metal. His guitar style and vocals are as abrasive as they are inspiring. His is a sound comprised of Metal, Blues, swagger, anger and perseverance. Now, with his first ever solo album, Wino has graced us with even more.

Punctuated Equilibrium is a fairly diverse record covering the gamut from aggressive Blues jams to slithering Doom with slight progressive touches here and there. Opening cut “Release Me” is a Psychedelic groove monster with a great riff and strong delivery. “Eyes Of The Flesh” is patented Wino Doom Metal; slow, sludgy and downright nasty with a menacing vibe. Nice spacey vocal delivery, too. “Secret Realm Devotion” starts off with a quiet grooving intro before morphing into a strong mid-tempo Hard Rock number punctuated (heh heh) here and there with hints of Doom. “Smilin’ Road” is a Stoner Rock Summertime anthem. We get more head-banging swagger in the riffing of instrumental “Gods, Frauds, Neo-Cons And Demagogues”; starts off thick and heavy then moves into some swirling ambience with muffled, garbled talking low in the mix…strange vibe. There are a couple of other instrumental tracks as well, “Water Crane” (dark, moody & ambient) and “The Woman In The Orange Pants” (weird, angry jam with killer solos from Wino as well as drummer Jean Paul Gaster of Clutch fame). “Silver Lining” closes things out with a bombastic Heavy Rock number.

Punctuated Equilibrium delivers on all levels; great clear tones, excellent song to song variation and pure, undiluted Wino attitude. This is a record no Wino fan, or fan of heavy Doom/Stoner/Psychedelic Rock, should be without.

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