Revelry (In Our Arms) is the debut release from Woven Man and it’s a riff and groove filled gem that is perfect for fans of sludge, stoner and doom inspired heavy rock. We had a chat with drummer Donal Owen with a little help from guitarist Lee Roy Davies, to hear all about Revelry (In Our Arms) and how it came together and the history of the band, influences, memorable gigs, previous bands and what the future holds for Woven Man.
Your new EP Revelry (In Our Arms) is out now. How did the recording of the EP go?
The recording was interesting, in as much as it was the first time we’d recorded together, so we needed to learn how each of us works inthe studio. It was great fun, I love recording as much as I like playing live
Was there any reason you chose to do an EP rather than an album at this point?
In all honesty it never occurred to us to think about it being an EP or an LP, because people often tell us that our songs can be quite long. Im never really sure what constitutes an EP or an LP, because Legion by Deicide is about 23 minutes long. And my other band released an album that had four tracks on it that was 70 minutes long, haha.
Are there any plans for a follow up album at the moment?
Yup, were looking at August to start recording. We’ve got a lot of material on the go, enough that were already writing for the third album. We work effectively together it seems.
What are the lyrics on the EP about?
We write about all sorts really. Topics range from the loss of loved ones (I am mountain), to sex in strange wicker man scenarios (with Willow)
It’s packed full of brilliant riffs throughout. What in your opinion, makes a great riff for Woven Man?
It tends to be low, and often builds to a crescendo, makes you want to smash things. I wish there was a definitive answer, but I’m thinking something that brings out the inner caveman or cave-woman whatever that may be.
What are some of your favourite riffs of all time?
Cadence Of The Dirge by Exhorder always gets me going, Blackened- Metallica. The Purest Strain Of Hate by Thy Art Is Murder is a beast. Moving from the pure heaviness, Kashmir by Zeppelin is just gorgeous
What has the reaction to Revelry (In Our Arms) been like?
Very positive, its been very gratifying, and when you release anything there’s always the worry that people wont get what you’re trying to do, so its lovely when people do.
How did Woven Man get together in the first place?
Lee had left Lifer and found himself at a loose end. We had been talking for a couple of years about doing something together, so it just galvanised him and me into action now that he had the time. He’d known Mark for decades and he’d been having the same conversation with him. So we came together in a studio inLlanelli and saw that this was good fun and needed pursuing. Lee knew all the other guys from the Ammanford area so he brought them in, I’m from Carmarthen so I was the outsider, haha.
Members of the band have been in the likes of Acrimony, Black Eye Riot, Lifer and Helvis. Did you bring the experience from being in those bands to the sound of Woven Man?
All those bands were Lee so i’ll hand you over to him for the next few questions, hahaha. Of course, especially Acrimony as the guitar tones are a ramped up version of the same sound….but with a lot more bite
What were some of the highlights of your time in Acrimony?
Getting fucked up on weed, booze and mushrooms and actually remembering what my name is, hahahaha. I guess nearly getting kicked out of the Kerrang awards was a good highlight.
Would Acrimony ever get back together, even for a one off gig?
Its impossible for all five of us to that as Darren Ivey doesnt play drums anymore due to knee problems. You may see a couple of us get together for a tribute gig for shits and giggles but at the moment, nowt planned.
What about your time in Lifer. How was that experience?
It was fun for a little while but essentially not my style. It filled a gap and keot me playing until I found the right bunch of gents to create Woven Man
Who are some of Woven Mans biggest influences
I always find this a hard one to answer. I mean we all come from different musical backgrounds with Metal being at the centre of our Ven diagram, so you’ve the usual culprits like Slayer, then maybe some Crowbar for good measure, but were all in our 40’s (apart from Sion who’s a child in his 30’s) so after 40 years of loving ALL music where do you start? Rush, Vola, Carcass, Sabbat, Napalm Death, Slayer, High on fire, Dio, Bathory…the list is endless
Have you got any gigs coming up that you can tell us about?
We have odds and sods all over really, we tend to play a fair bit up north, as Lees connections from the days of Acrimony seem to all be in Yorkshire so we frequently get a wee road trip. Last time we went up, Lee’s driving made my girlfriend puke into a bag, hahaha.
Will you be playing a lot of new material?
We chuck a couple of new tracks in but until that album is released we wont play too much off it, but its hard not to because we love the new stuff too.
What Woven Man song do you love playing live playing the most?
Of Land and Sky floats my boat live. By the end of that track i’m usually lucky if I can lift my arms because it motivates me to give it some welly live, i’m pretty aggressive live anyways so I chuck everything I have left at that one. Which is why we often close with it because I physically wont be playing anymore. Hahaha, fucking Neanderthal that I am.
What has been the best gig that you have ever played?
I’m assuming you mean with Woven Man? I mean with Woven Man my fave gig is always the next one that we haven’t played yet, because we’re going to have the best time. The last gig we played was in the Bunkehouse in Swansea, and I enjoyed that because the sound man was great, we played great, everyone who was there seemed into what we did, what more can you ask for?
What has been the best gig you’ve ever been to and why?
When I saw Pantera in Newport Centre after they released Vulgar Display Of Power, they were supporting Megadeth and they only had a thirty minute set so they put everything they had into that set, and since then every other gig I’ve been to has been a pale imitation. And Vinnie Paul left a very fucking big dent on me, a total monster, with perfect balance of rock and roll and technical ability. People can tell me why I’m wrong and that’s okay because they’re tools
Who would you love to tour with in the future?
I mean, I wanna say Metallica because that would do us some good for sales, hahaha. Gods of Hellfire would be good, because they’re all very nice guys, good fun and it would be a laugh. Gojira because I can practice my french, they’re an awesome band and Duplantier could teach me how to play properly, because surely on a tour theres nothing more important than teaching the support drummer ? hahaha
What is the heavy music scene like in your native Wales at the moment?
I don’t wanna appear negative but like all music scenes its really hard getting people to even come out and watch bands, I’ve no idea where the malaise comes from but I’m going to suggest the mere cost of living these days has become prohibative enough that pubs are empty and everyone is permanently fixated on how little they have. There are some great bands doing the rounds that just need to be seen.
Are there any new bands that you could recommend to us?
We played with Urfe the other day and I thought they were great, go check them out.
How did you get into heavy music in the first place?
My Dad has been inbands all his life so I was brought into music at an early age. He just exposed me to his world, so I think the first documented piquing of interest from me was Hot for Teacher by Van Halen on the Old Grey Whistle test which must have been about 1984. The drum intro on that still eludes me
Who is the biggest influence on you as a musician?
Pat Grover was the drummer in my dads band, he’s passed away now but he taught me to drum when I was little. He had been everywhere and done it all, very respected as a musician and ZERO ego, he was a lovely, kind guy who embraced all music and didn’t ponce around trying to look cool. I have no time for posturing musicians, WM works because we go on stage without applying our “guy liner” and bandanas and mirror shades to look what we think metal bands look like and we fucking play our hearts out. Pat taught me to not act like a fucking twat and that your music should do the talking for you. For a less serious answer, Vinnie Paul’s drumming gives me a stiffy.
What’s next for Woven Man for the rest of the year?
Just recording and gigs. Weve got one in Ireland in November which will be our first international gig, and for some of us our first international gig with any band.
What have been some of the highlights of your time with Woven Man so far?
That Moment when we finished writing a new track and all got to stand back and marvel that end was alarmingly heavy. I think the first positive review made my heart swell with pride. That made me happy
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