Adrift

Hear ye, hear ye, forsake all that whiny indie-folk-pop rubbish you’ve been fawning over—THIS is the best acoustic record in the past five years at the very least. Scott “Wino” Weinrich brings us a solo acoustic outing here after gracing us with his earthy, powerful baritone (and sometimes guitar) on absolutely essential heavy metal bands such as Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, and Spirit Caravan for the past few decades. On this album, his voice lends itself beautifully to a set of harrowing, honest, passionate acoustic songs, and while obviously different in instrumentation and sonic momentum from his doom metal projects, Wino retains his intense, haunting aura. Some songs give the feeling of a somber sea shanty, while others are darker and rooted in a rock/blues sound. To summarize, this is a spectacular album, and I assure all listeners who consider themselves lovers of good music that upon giving this slab of vinyl a spin, the voice and guitar released from the grooves will relentlessly grip the soul and gloomily serenade the ears.

1. Somber and pensive 3-4 ballad, truly captures a sea-shantyesque “adrift” feeling.
2. A bouncy, deep blues sound with some soulful crooning and rockin electric guitar solo.
3. If this were electric, it could almost be a Spirit Caravan song. A repetitive riff-like phrasing creates a dark sonic statement that is not to be missed. BEST TRACK #1
4. Shimmering, almost upbeat melodies contrast with low rhythmic phrases and chords. Excellent guitar solo. BEST TRACK #2
5. Melancholy ballad, dense with genuine immediacy.
6. Acoustic Motorhead cover—who knew? Awesome, bluesy-rockin’ number.
7. Haunting melodies in this folksy fingerpicked instrumental number.
8. Slightly faster, angsty, street-corner song.
9. Heavy pickin’, bluesy, feels direct and honest.
10. Bluesy, toe-tappin, with the best vocal performance on the album. BEST TRACK #3
11. Droning synth/feedback and acoustic picking; odd atmospheric piece.
12. Heavy as it gets for being acoustic; rockin’ grandpas-guitar blues at its finest!