EPK – Uncle Woe – Phantomescence (2020)
Publicist – Jon Asher – asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
For fans of Yob, Chrome Ghost, Deftones, Slomatics, Tool
“Psychedelic, sludgy, doom-prog duo from Bancroft, ON. They do heavy things that go on for a bit.”
Album Title: Phantomescence
Release Date: October 23, 2020
Label: Packard Black Productions
Facebook.com/unclewoe | Instagram.com/unclewoedoom
Bandcamp | iTunes | Amazon | Spotify
“The lone member (although it does seem as if drummer Nicholas Wowk has been added to the band) Rain Fice has created a truly wondrous journey through pure doom lands into that astral, transcendental other place doom of the aforementioned Yob that gives you goosebumps with its completely distressing doom metal. Fice’s clean echo-drenched vocals are also of very high quality, while not actually sounding like Mike Scheidt, Fice does exude a similar aura of supreme enlightenment and complete mastery of his art.” – Verbal Aggression
“Never be afraid to take a chance on a new name. This one comes to us from Ontario and was released earlier in the month, though I’m just now getting around to hearing it. I was pretty damned impressed and count UNCLE WOE in the same company as Domkraft, Spaceslug, Chrome Ghost, and Slomatics. Some damned good doom with crunchy low end and transcendent vocals. Count it among the #HeavyBest19” – Doomed & Stoned
“Chugging, sprawling, and most of all reaching, the late-2019 debut LP, Our Unworn Limbs, from Ontario as-yet-solo-outfit Uncle Woe — composed, performed, and recorded by Rain Fice — is one of marked promise, taking elements of modern progressive and cosmic doom from the likes of YOB’s subtly angular riffing style and unfolding them across an emotionally resonant but still manageable 43-minute span.” – The Obelisk
BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS
1. This album, Phantomescence, was conceived and recorded entirely during COVID lockdown and was recorded remotely, with Nicholas Wowk recording the drums in his garage, and Rain Fice wielding all other audio implements in his own humble abode. Once quarantine seemed like it wasn’t going to be a short-lived episode, the duo was faced with the reality of not being able to get together to rehearse in the foreseeable future, so they knew they had to do SOMETHING as a band in the interim. The obvious choice was to record an album. Aside from the initial fundamental structure of Become The Ghost, the rest of the album was written and arranged on the fly. Nick and Rain met up in a vacant parking lot in early April so Rain could pass Nick a box of sterilized microphones and an 8 channel mixer. Other than that, this album was created 100% remotely, sending audio files back and forth via the internet. The band has only been able to rehearse the album tracks only once together.
2. Rain Fice and Nicholas Wowk is something of a uniquely rural outfit, to their own detriment in a lot of ways. In an area where folk-rock, country, and classic rock cover bands abound, they are, to the best of their knowledge, if not the only heavy metal band for at least an hour in any direction, DEFINITELY the only Doom-centric, post-metal act for sure. On one hand, this has made fleshing out the band with local talent a distinct challenge, and when they DO have a gig-worthy band at the ready, they don’t have any contemporaries with which to share a local stage. On the other hand, this illustrates that they are serious about their craft, and aren’t in it for the glory of chasing the local scene… because there isn’t one. They ARE the local scene. They are currently hiring. Progged out doom bass players and/or guitarists apply within.
3. Rain Fice wouldn’t say that he’s a gear COLLECTOR, per se, but he’s definitely something of a gear aficionado, and he gravitates toward vintage and off-brand amps and pedals. All of Rain’s main amps are Canadian made, and one of them is a 30+ year old one of a kind thing. His pedal situation is similar. Most of them are pretty new, but he doesn’t have many common things on his board. No Muffs, or Tube Screamers. It was actually a leap of faith pedal purchase that ultimately spawned the Uncle Woe sound and led to writing the first official Uncle Woe song, Push the Blood Back in. After years and years of buying and selling pedals on the endless tone-quest, Fice plugged into a Kuro T120 and knew instantaneously that he had found his sound. That pedal, combined with his trusty Rozon amp is absolutely the backbone of Uncle Woe’s sonic signature.
About:
Hailing from the oft frozen hills of rural Canada, Uncle Woe is a phantom limb, wielding a bludgeoning tool against mostly true tales of bittersweet sorrow, revenge, and regret.
The bleak desolation of Bancroft, Ontario spawned Uncle Woe in 2019 when Rain Fice grew weary of floundering in non-committed projects and instead dove into songwriting mode with a rough idea of his ideal sound and started carving out what would become the first Uncle Woe LP “Our Unworn Limbs”.
After the album was released in 2019 and started to pick up some buzz, a full band began to form. However, the pandemic was not far off and the band whittled down to a 2 piece. Before lockdown began, Uncle Woe managed to lock down the rough elements of what would become the second album “Phantomescence”, Fice expanded on them, and after being fed to drummer Nicholas Wowk, and recording remotely, the album was complete: a meandering exploration of death and dreams. Many chugging, bludgeoning passages are offset by expansive and contemplative, subdued, almost post-rock soundscapes.
As Uncle Woe begins to hit their stride, fans can look forward to the band putting out music pretty much indefinitely, plans are in motion for a third album already.
The band’s second album “Phantomescence” will be available digitally, CD and on vinyl on October 23rd via Packard Black Productions.
Discography:
2019 – Our Unworn Limbs
2020 – Phantomescence
Album Title: Phantomescence
Release Date: October 23, 2020
Label: Packard Black Productions
Track Listing:
1. Become The Ghost (6:29)
2. On Laden Shores (13:30)
3. Lucid Degrees of Autoscopic Ruin (6:45)
4. A Map of Dead Stars (13:14)
EP Length: 40:00
Album Credits:
• All songs performed by: Rain Fice/Nicholas Wowk
• All songs written by: Rain Fice *Become the Ghost by Fice/Wowk
• Produced by: Rain Fice/Nicholas Wowk
• Mixed by: Rain Fice
• Mastered by: Rain Fice
• Album Artwork by: Rain Fice
• Canadian Content (MAPL)
EP Recording Band Line Up:
Rain Fice – Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Keyboards
Nicholas Wowk – Drums/Percussion
Live Band Line Up:
Rain Fice – Guitar, Vocals
Nicholas Wowk – Drums/Percussion
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