WINO - Punctuated Equilibrium

Scott "Wino" Weinrich is a name that has gained a “cult” status all these years among the metal / rock community being a member of many of the most significant bands of the genre such as The Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, Place Of Skulls and the list seems to be endless. So the time has finally come for Wino to release his first album under the moniker “Wino”, something that the most of us expecting with such an impatience and great expectation, even greater that it should be…but  well let’s dive in to the album entitled “Punctuated Equilibrium”.
\r\nFirst of all the line up consists of Wino on guitars and Vocals, Jean Paul Gaster of The Clutch on drums and on Bass guitar Jon Blank of Wretched. Their sound is deeply 70’s inspired by southern / dessert rock, with groovy tracks having the classic wino lyrical themes, such as Politics, Religion and in general every day things. The riffing is slow tempo, and some times I get the feeling that has been forced to sound down tempo and the tracks have the classic structure of the genre. All these characteristics make a very good album for sure, and also a predicted album also, but personally I think that this album lacks of something “special”. I have to admit that I ve been expecting something closer to the Obsessed days but now I realize my expectations were too high.
\r\nWell, I d like to be fair enough with the actual release and with the release I ve been expecting, so “Punctuated Equilibrium” is for sure a very good album and maybe the most “weak” album wino ever did along  with the latest Hidden Hand Release (The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote – 2007). For sure there are many other releases where wino had more inspiration and didn’t rush anything. But as a stand alone album I DO believe that is a very good one.
\r\n
\r\nLampros “Witchfynder” Tennes
\r\n