#[ DAMN RIGHT SIMON APRIL IS A GODDESS ]

[doomedandstoned]

Wykan Reveal Second Single From EP Inspired by Ancient Celtic Religion

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

WYKAN is the passion project of one Jeremy Perkins, hailing from Montreal, Quebec. He's no stranger to the heavy underground, having fronted the black 'n' doom band Éohum for damn near a decade. Manning the guitar and sharing in the vocal duties, Jeremy is joined by chief vocalist Barrie Butler, bassist Corey Thomas, and Drummer Dug Kawliss.

Last year, Wykan flew just underneath my radar during one of the most crowded release calendars in memory, dropping their debut, 'Solace' (2018). I downloaded it, of course, but like many of my fellow bloggers it was late in the year before I had a chance to really soak it in. Perhaps that's for the better, as Wykan's sound -- blending blackened doom with stoner-blues and a flair for the dramatic -- is still fresh in my mind.

There's something magnetic-electric that draws me into records like Wykan's latest, 'Brigid - Of The Night' (2019). Brigid was a deity in Ireland before Roman Catholicism stamped out her rite. She's known as the Celtic goddess of fertility, so this would be her time of year. She's also "patron saint," so to speak, of poetry, healing, and all you folks with the last name Smith (or at least the blacksmiths, swordsmiths, and songsmiths among us).

I love it when a creator attacks their craft with incisive vision. Of course, it doesn't always come together neatly, but to see the pieces fit in the end has to be quite satisfying. I'd love to know more about Jeremy's background, referencing "theatrical movement" and "ceremonial heaviness" in the liner notes, as he seems to be thinking on an almost operatic scale with these compositions.

If there were ever a reason to resurrect the once too-often used word epic, Wykan is it. You come away from both of these EPs feeling like you've experienced something monumental. I confess, I've yet to warm up to black metal on the whole, as it all sounds a little too wispy and paper thin for my tastes, but Wykan presents it with real substance. I think the doom helps to ground it, striking just the right balance between frenetic winter wind and the frozen ground of earth, with those blues sparking an unexpected fire.

Today, Doomed & Stoned is giving you a first listen to the opening number from Brigid - Of The Night: "Imbolc (The Cleansing)."

"This song is the introduction of the ceremonial aspects of the whole album. Wykan's concept is to make it a ceremonial get-together of some sort for the listener to be taken to a musical space where the music is in constant evolution expanding."

I was curious about the instrumentation for this song and Jeremy further enlightens us: "The beginning of this song is written on an Ovation acoustic guitar. I actually came up with most of the intro in the studio. It just sounded so awesome. I use a lot of pedals with this Wykan concept and this song clearly brings you to the '70s and transitions into black metal quite quickly, and then evolves slowly into a doom-death metal like approach."

Featuring artwork once again by David Paul Seymour, Brigid - Of The Night manifests on Friday, July 7th (pre-order here).

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Founded in 2017 by guitarist Jeremy Perkins, Montreal's Wykan plays a blend of psychedelic doom, heavy blues, stoner rock and black metal in the classic format of bass, drums, and guitar. Their experimental and massive sounding music is best described as Pink Floyd meeting Black Sabbath meeting Mayhem for those who have never heard the band.

In just under 8 months of the band being founded, Wykan unleashed their debut EP “Solace” to the masses in April 2018. The EP delivered a heavy brew, blending a soup of atmospheric groove, spirits of heavy riffs and hot tubes overridden and pushed to the limits in a ceremonial manner. As they continue on their path of ceremonial heaviness, Wykan returns in 2019 with their sophomore EP, 'Brigid: Of The Night' (2019) to follow the band’s plan of releasing an EP every six-to-ten months and keep fans on a ceremonial run of emotion and space.

S O L A C E by WYKAN

Set to release their sophomore EP 'Brigid: Of The Night' (2019) on June 7th, 2019, to follow their 2018 debut EP "Solace", WYKAN is premiering their first second single, "Imbolc (The Cleansing)" via Doomed & Stoned.

"We want to give fans a trip for the mind, without barriers and hooks, just plain vibes and atmosphere. This next EP is overall hits more classic riffing to go with each genre we touch in each of the songs. As a story, 'Brigid: Of The Night' is about the Celtic Goddess known as Brigid. The whole thematic and three songs are a historical take on ceremonies and festivities based on her deity representation and relationship with the Celtic peoples of Ireland pre-Christianity." says Perkins.

The band's line up for the EP features guest drummer Simon McKay of The Agonist rattling his talents on track #3, "Reul-Iuil Bride (Star of Brigid)" along Wykan and Éohum founder Jeremy Perkins on guitar, vocalist Barrie Butler (Éohum, ex-Tard), bassist Corey Thomas, best known for his own jazz ensemble Backwater Township and drummer Dug Kawliss (ex-Tempete) who is on tracks #1, "Imbolc (The Cleansing)," and #2, "Breo-Saighead (Triple Goddess)."

"Brigid: Of The Night" also follows the band's plan of releasing an EP every six to ten months and keep fans on a ceremonial run of emotion and space. Wykan's new EP will be available on Bandcamp as a $1 EP or more Pay-What-You-Want download.

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