Released: 2024
Genre: Doom, Heavy Psych
Sounds Like: Belzebong, Dopelord, REZN
Homeland: Poland
What makes Weedow elite and sit atop OHMs Peak?
The debut album from Poland's heavy psych trio is remarkably impressive for a new band. Their relaxed, fuzz-infused sound is both seasoned and highly captivating
The trippy, chilled vocals and voice overs seamlessly integrate with the immense stoner sounds, creating a perfect blend
The production solid and deep, with each instrument finding its own space to shine
Weedow is one of this year's best doom albums to grace our speakers
Track Listing: 1. Nothing 8:24
2. Weedow 5:34
3. Delusion 7:37
4. Funnel Vision 5:12
5. Empowerment 7:28
6. Threnody 9:28
7. Mourn 8:24
Dive deeper into Weedow with our Q&A with the heavy psych trio.
OHMs Peak: We cannot take this out of rotation, your debut is absolutely cathartic and mesmerizing. You hit majestic heights as this album encompasses the perfect blend of doom and heavy psych. Patryk Wójcik delivers with some impressively chilled vocals. We would love to hear more about the band’s background and how you started. Were you in other projects together? Any insights to your formation we would love to hear?
Maciek: For a few years, Patryk and I had been close friends, we even shared a home. Sometimes we jammed together and/or with other pals. Personally, I was more interested in other music and projects at the time; I already had some experience, and my sounds were 90s alternative, punk, and hardcore (which are still close to me, though they vary now naturally). Patryk has never performed in a band before, therefore this is his first effort, and the band was founded entirely on his initiative. Weedow's foundations were most likely laid in the fall of 2021, when we began playing more stoner themes together. Patryk was playing riffs on the guitar at the time, and I started playing along with him on the fly (Patrick's "JUST PLAY SLOWER", lol), and I became hooked. After a while, we felt that we wanted to augment the riffs with a melody line, so we tried playing with several guitarists, but it wasn't until we met Tomek that we found common ground. Patryk placed a post on a local Facebook group for musicians, we met and played a few times, liked each other, and that's how it all began.
OHMs Peak: Your debut has a different feel than many of the psychedelic doom albums we encounter. Your work is one that takes the listener into this expansive heavy psychedelic journey. Take us through the writing process and setting in making this album?
Patryk: This could be a result of our diverse musical interests. As he previously stated, Maciek played a different kind of music that was aggressive too but faster. As a drummer, this undoubtedly affected the band's overall sound. Tomek, on the other hand, played a lot of classic blues in many projects and jams. I, from another side, preferred to play slow, thick, and fat riffs. This is where Maciek's violent, tremorous rhythms meet with Tomasz's blues individuality, and all this pulled by a big mammoth combined with a roller and a combine harvester driving through a forest of people, lol. It's meant to be heavy and thick.
When it comes to the writing process, a major portion of the record was formed during one of the jams when we were still playing with Maciek as a duo. One evening we went to a rehearsal space and just had a great time, lol. The whole thing was recorded on the phone, then Maciek took it and cut the 2-hour jam into pieces and composed a few tracks with it. We didn't have a wider plan for it; it just occurred to us organically (Nothing, Delusion, Weedow, Funnel Vision). "Mourn" is essentially a single riff by Maciek, who was playing with sounds at home in the meantime. Tomasz brought the intro and main riff for "Empowerment" to one of the jams, while "Threnody" is the result of jamming from scratch.
Recording and production are our own work, done in the privacy of our home and rehearsal space, with numerous sessions and wonderful fun. In addition to running around with cables, lol, Maciek was in charge of the mixing (with our combined monitoring and corrections). It is interesting that many solos were recorded one-take, when Tomek recorded them quickly before leaving when he was in a hurry to catch the tram, leaving us with our jaws on the floor, lol. This was undoubtedly done for "Funnel Vision" and "Mourn". For "Threnody" we thought that spoken word would be a good fit, our friend Wiktoria Kowalska came to help and wrote and recorded a poem (thank you!).
OHMs Peak: What bands over the years have influenced your sound? We hear hints of Belzebong and Dopelord, but only splashes.
Tomek: We didn't really intend to mimic or so the sound of any particular band; we just performed whatever came to mind. For all of us, REZN is undoubtedly a major source of inspiration.
Maciek: Yes, I truly enjoyed REZN. I found it easy to navigate where many of the songs had a straightforward structure that brought back memories of my roots. Next to Dope Smoker and Windhand, it served as a sort of introduction to this genre for me. Listening to music with Patryk helped me learn more about these bands and stoner doom overall.
Tomek: My main inspirations include Tool, Om, and Kaz Bałagane. All of this mixed with blues, lol.
Patryk: Instrumentally, it would be a blend of Dope Smoker and Electric Wizard, with REZN on vocals and lead.
Maciek: I'd also add that probably everything we've heard throughout the years has left a lasting impression on us.
OHMs Peak: There is not a flaw on this album but if we had to pick favorites they might be either "Weedow" or "Funnel Vision." These two songs hit with such highly addictive and fuzzy rhythms and the vocals blend in perfectly to the psych doom. Take us through the concept and making of these tracks
Tomek: Maybe because they are the catchiest and most "pop-oriented" on the album, lol. They have a timeless structure and are undoubtedly highly catchy.
Maciek: Yes, I think my roots have a hand in this when I was cutting and arranging this jam, lol. Simple music is often the most expressive. These are also some of the first songs we created, so no wonder.
Patryk: We didn't have a plan for it, we just jammed it out, I only knew there had to be a riff, it had to be thick, and the rest came out in the wash, lol. The entire record was really a test of our ability to perform this type of music.
OHMs Peak; The album cover is so fitting to your sound. Who created and drove the artwork?
Patryk: The cover is the product of our collaboration; Maciek assisted me later with technical difficulties, but I designed it myself. However, the idea for the name, cover, character is actually mine. This also holds true for the original cover variations for the singles Empowerment and Mourn.
OHMs Peak: Weedow is stranded on an island with only a solar powered turn table and majestic powered solar blue tooth speakers. The band collectively can only choose one album. Which album to you agree to?
Tomek: Dope Smoker - Legalize It, lol, that would be crazy as fuck, lol.
Weedow are:
Patryk Wójcik: bass/vocals
Tomasz Raszewski: guitar
Maciej Budzowski: drums
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