Columbus-cum-New York sludge multi-instrumentalist Dan Wilburn has a fairly stacked resume despite being a dude whose name doesn’t immediately ring many bells (yet):  following a stint playing with post-metal

8 years ago

Columbus-cum-New York sludge multi-instrumentalist Dan Wilburn has a fairly stacked resume despite being a dude whose name doesn’t immediately ring many bells (yet):  following a stint playing with post-metal acolytes Mouth of the Architect, he’s been a gun-for-hire running sound for some of our favorite bands, including Cynic and Intronaut. If you’re reading this site at all and make it out to shows, then there’s a solid shot you’ve been in the same room as Mr. Wilburn and not even realize it.

In his own right, though, Dan is beginning to make a name for himself with his project Wet Teeth, which recently dropped its debut self titled record through Bandcamp. As his past musical experience might have tipped you off, Wet Teeth is primarily grounded in the earthy tones of sludge, with the succinct songwriting style and club-ready vocal hooks of Baroness or Mastodon. Wet Teeth runs on an abundance of grooving riffs and just enough post-metal experimentation to keep things interesting within the context of self-sufficient songs.

Rattle” for instance spirals into massive bridge that toys with Mid-Eastern vibes, and the second half of “Dead Weight” drops into a haunting and psychedelic instrumental. The record’s explosive finale “The Illusionist” is also remarkable, with Wilburn singing a fiercely memorable line “cut the knife, and to hell with eternity” before ending the record in a churning display of emotive The Ocean-style riffing.

Wet Teeth is a trojan horse of a record. Opening with a relatively straightforward melancholic headbanger “Walk Through The Fire,” the album expands its breadth as it progresses, exposing further nuance and accents that hint towards a larger playbook that pulls from all reaches of the Post-Neur-Isis scene to arrange a sound that is unique to Dan Wilburn and Wet Teeth. Following the dissolution of The Mire late last year, there is a void of bands focusing on killer songs at this level. Wet Teeth fills this need with a powerful debut that begs for large stages.

Stream Wet Teeth in its entirety via the Bandcamp player below. Click through to purchase the record for whatever you deem appropriate.

Jimmy Rowe

Published 8 years ago