Scott “Wino” Weinrich is the proverbial doom metal journeyman. Whether it be with The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, or his namesake solo project, Wino has spent the last 40 years giving listeners a glimpse into the dark recesses of his mind. Accompanying his signature earthquaking riffs are lyrical observations ranging from the dark to the downright bleak. These observations are front and center on Wino’s latest album, Forever Gone. Our weathered hero trades his signature Les Paul for an acoustic guitar and proves that even unplugged, he’s as heavy as always.
Forever Gone opens with the song of the same name. With its lyrical theme of departure, you’d think it’d make more sense for “Forever Gone” to close the album than open it. However, with its dark, haunting atmosphere, “Forever Gone” sets the stage for a cerebral listening experience. Though its been nearly 35 years since Wino wailed “Born Too Late”, he’s still able to pen lyrics that tear at the listener’s heartstrings. Look no further than “Taken”. Perhaps the most tortured song on the album, Wino laments being “Broken like a wounded bird’s wing.” Other themes explored on Forever Gone include alcoholism (“The Song’s at the Bottom of the Bottle”) and a plea for divine intervention (“Crystal Madonna”).
Amidst the darkness are beams of light. “So Fine” is an upbeat love song with bawdy lyrics characteristic of early 70s hard rock. There’s also the motivational “Dark Ravine”. On this track, Wino again uses the bird trope. Only this time, the message is positive: “I’m gonna fly over this dark ravine today.” The incorporation of electric guitars and drums (provided by Clutch drummer Jean-Paul Gaster) on certain songs adds some color to an otherwise caliginous palette.
Forever Gone closes with a cover of Joy Division’s “Isolation”. Musically, it’s an interesting choice. The cold British post-punk of this nearly mythical act is worlds apart from the sun soaked grooves emitted by Wino’s six string. Lyrically, it makes perfect sense. Joy Division (specifically frontman Ian Curtis) was plagued by the same demons as Wino. Both acts used different forms of extreme music to exorcise those demons. The end result is an impactful collision of musical worlds to convey the emotions associated with “Isolation”.
I don’t listen to many singer/songwriters, so I can’t grade Forever Gone in that respect. I can grade it in relation to Wino’s career. Forever Gone carries on Wino’s tradition of pouring his heart and soul into every last note. Much like the rest of his catalog, it’s not for “everyone”, though the emotions explored have been experienced by everyone at least once. It wouldn’t hurt to self reflect for 45 minutes while losing yourself to a doom metal icon.
7 out of 10
Label: Ripple Music
Genre: Singer/Songwriter
For fans of: Saint Vitus, John Prine, Townes Van Zandt