BIRD EATER
Utah
(Exigent)

JESU
Lifeline
(Hydra Head)

EVILE
Enter the Grave
(Earache)

STINKING LIZAVETA
Scream of the Iron Iconoclast
(At a Loss)

WOLVES IN THE
THRONE ROOM
Two Hunters
(Southern Lord)

RED FANG
S/T 

(Wantage)

PURE SOUNDART
Emo is Dead

(Lockjaw)

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Apparently this North Carolina band has been unjustly lumped in the stoner rock genre. Having enjoyed Salt the Wound a few times over the course of the last couple of weeks I can kind of see why. Emphasis on ‘kind of’, because really this is much more interesting than most stoner bands, more adventurous and psychedelic, more bent on letting their guitars float in space instead of entrenching themselves in lo-tune Kyuss homage mode.  As patient that’s for sure, but not as lethargic in its post-smoke out vibe.

The vocals too often get out of stoner territory, I mean guitarist Nate Hall, who doubles as main screamer, certainly does not sound stoned as much as simply raw and simple, it is not rare to hear him screaming out his lines with little regard for melody or speed. “Death by Horses” for instance, sounds slightly weird, because the guitars head one way, while sonic psychedelic debris (read; noise) gives the songs a cinematic feel while Hall screams out his lyrics.

Issued via the Russian label R.A.I.G. (Russian Association of Independent Genres) Salt the Wound is a more than nice trippy surprise. Hearing niche bands like U.S. Christmas lifts my spirit, they seem to mind nothing and worry about their own sound only during the making of their music.  Their riffs are great too and when stripped of all effects one can finally see why the whole stoner rock lumping is perhaps not much of an inaccuracy.  “New War” is aggressive but at its epicenter possesses the same simplistic riffage construction of a stoner band while “Devil’s Flower” sounds almost like an excuse to tune out of everyday life.  The rest follows suit, all Salt the Wound is heavy on stoner riffage and psychedelic sounds, the presence of instrumentals only adds to the stoner rock legend as the sub-genre has always been linked to jam rock and lengthy extended versions seems to be the rule.  

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