Under the Influence: Formation Ritual

I don’t know if this counts as an album since it’s more of a compilation, but I had to include this because it’s the first record I have a recollection of hearing as a child. When I was growing my mom had this CD and when I was around four years old, I’d get her to put it on while I danced and jumped around like a little fool. I still love this record because it covers all the important aspect of Waylon’s sound. His band and arrangements just had so much groove and were more hard-hitting and rocking than a lot of other country out there. Though Formation Ritual’s music may not reflect any country influence on the surface, Waylon’s gotta be in there somewhere.

Starting in middle school, I became a huge Skynyrd fan. I think I originally heard Freebird or something on the radio and was drawn to the guitar solos, so I picked up a bunch of their albums over time. I eventually got Nuthin’ Fancy, which is a very overlooked album of theirs. The album has some of their greatest tunes including a couple heavier ones, like Saturday Night Special and On the Hunt. Those riffs are big as hell and had an impact on my sense of rhythm and riff-writing.

I had gotten into a lot of the 90s Seattle bands and out of all the major groups to come out of that scene, Soundgarden was always a favorite. Their Sabbath-y heaviness combined with Chris Cornell’s insane vocals and their penchant for weird, off-kilter sounds and rhythms really grabbed me. Working my way through their catalog I eventually got back to their first EP, Screaming Life, which has one of my favorite songs ever, Nothing to Say. That song is still the pinnacle of heavy music to me. Sludgy, raw and powerful with Cornell’s vocals soaring above it all. Matt Cameron’s drumming is also amazing (as always).

Following the same theme with the 90s Seattle bands, I’m obligated to list Alice in Chain’s self-titled album. I was 14 and listening to a lot of 60s and 70s rock and I was over at a friend’s house. He put on Sludge Factory, the 3rd song on the album, and it cracked open the world of heavy music for me. Layne’s eerie falsetto vocal parts on that song and all their harmonies demonstrated that you can be super heavy and super melodic at the same time. I love harsh vocals, but my ear still tends to gravitate toward melodic lines sung over heavy riffs, which is where that album was really influential to me.

It has A History of Bad Men on it, what more is there to say? That was probably one of the sludgiest riffs I’d heard up to that point. Coady and Jared from Big Business really elevated this record. I had that CD in my car for months. That album really showcases the band’s great riff and songwriting as well as their quirkiness and humor.

Along with Black Mountain (who I wanted to include in this list but it was getting a little long), All Them Witches was a gateway into the current heavy music scene for me. When I was a little younger I’m embarrassed to say that I took that stale, dumb attitude of “none of these new bands compare to the classics.” I just wasn’t interested in new music. Then I stumbled on All Them Witches and it immediately changed my mind. Their combination of psychedelia, blues, and heavy rock/metal is so compelling that I could no longer ignore what was going on in the contemporary scene. They also have an inexplicable kind of mysticism in their sound that this particular album really showcases that transports me somewhere else. The song, “Blood And Sand / Milk And Endless Waters”, is a prime example of that vibe. When I write Formation Ritual songs I sometimes try to achieve that same feeling but I think it’s just a magic that is specific to that combination of guys in that band.

Even though they’re very different bands, YOB captures the same feeling of mysticism and spirituality that All Them Witches does in my mind. They’re also another really heavy but melodic band in the scene and I love that aspect of their sound. All those elements really come through on this album. Mike Scheidt’s voice is also one of my favorites in the scene both in terms of his melodic and harsh vocals.