Tearing through the speakers like a swamp monster summoned from some dark cosmic morass, Dallas, Texas riffmasters Wo Fat unapologetically blast out a southern fried, blues-infused version of Psychedelic Doom, conjuring up visions of hoodoo shacks, prowling undead, hell hounds at the crossroads, Lovecraftian cultists and ghouls, and worlds beyond where the riff reigns almighty. Wo Fat rose from the deep and began their psyche-doom-adelic quest circa 2003 when guitarist Kent Stump formed the band with drummer Michael Walter and bassist Tim Wilson. Their goal was to create a music that is crushingly heavy, but that stays within the paradigm forged by Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top and the other 70's greats. A music that allows for improvisational freedom, extensive jamming and interplay between the three members yet that, at the same time, allows them to crank out monolithic, fuzzed out, downtuned riffs, all the while staying true to the haunting blues that wail and moan deep within their souls. Their 2006 release “The Gathering Dark”, which was the first documented, hazy, smoke-filled trip in their ongoing Riff Quest, gave us the blueprint that they would expand upon in later albums. This blueprint was a mixture of dark, Mississippi Hill Country blues, extended acid guitar freakouts and heavier-than-Led, Sabbath-style riffing. Wo Fat took things up a notch with their next album, “Psychedelonaut” (2009) and again with 2011’s “Noche del Chupacabra,” which is their most daring exploration to date, continuing to offer up even weightier slabs of crushing riffage coupled with moments of spaced out trippiness. Both of these albums garnered much critical acclaim and helped to establish them as an up and coming force to be reckoned with. Now, Wo Fat has joined the Small Stone roster and is jonesin’ to take us on another heavy trip through the swampy backwoods to the psychedelic hoodoo shack. Rumor has it that the old gypsy woman said they’re headed back into the studio to do some more conjurin’ in the spring of 2012.
