Blood of the Black Owl/At the Head of the Woods Split

Seeing Is Nothing, Feeling Is Believing

#176) Blood of the Black Owl/At the Head of the Woods Split (2011)

 1. At the Head of the Woods - Here I Stand
 2. Blood of the Black Owl - Visions of Strix Nebulosa


i randomly picked this up on a record binge. i had heard that Blood of the Black Owl was a weird black/doom band but i didn't really know anything about these bands other than what i read on Handmade Birds:

"Since 2005, collaborators Chet W. Scott and James Woodhead have fashioned incredibly moving and innovative music as The Elemental Chrysalis. During this time, each has made his mark exploring a deeply personal journey as solo artist- Chet as Blood of the Black Owl, and James as At the Head of the Woods. With both projects creating incredible snapshots into their respective journies, here, on a split crafted over a long period, and arriving at the cusp of new full length material from both, the presence of these long time pioneers could not be felt in a more rich and inspiring way. This is a limited release, featuring art by James Woodhead and design by Chet W. Scott.
SIDE A: AT THE HEAD OF THE WOODS "HERE I STAND" 24:12
SIDE B: BLOOD OF THE BLACK OWL "VISIONS OF STRIX NEBULOSA" 25:19

Edition: 500 copies total, first run of 300."

the At the Head of the Woods track is sort of droning post-rock (is that a thing?)  for about the first 11 minutes or so. after that the song continues with the droning rock but now there are a bunch of guitar licks that i think are supposed to make it more psychedelic or something but it just made me think of cheesy guitar riffs in 90s movie scores. i've never heard anything from this project so i don't really know what this guy's sound is but overall it was a pretty good track. i'd check out more from this dude.

the Blood of the Black Owl track is...interesting. i was expecting some crushing metal and i got a track that sounds like the score to Dances With Wolves with some weird drones and a dude growling over it. the first time i listened to this it was definitely a "what the fuck" moment but it grew on me on the 2nd listen. it's just so...i don't know. towards the end some guitar and drums kick in and sounds a little more like what i was expecting, but not a lot. again, having never heard anything else by this guy i don't know if this is his normal sound or what but i'll definitely be checking out more.