Heavy instrumental two-piece WALL are back, featuring Desert Storm members and brothers Ryan & Elliot Cole.

Today, we reveal the first single “Masking My Contempt” from the upcoming record ‘Brick by Brick’ (2024), which will be their first full-length and has been a couple years in the making following a pair of well-received EPs.

Says drummer Elliot Cole:

The song “Masking My Contempt” starts with a sample from an amusing scene that is taken from a film we like called American Beauty. The scene is where Lester Burnham blackmails his boss for over a year’s salary. We have said for years that it would make a cool intro to a song, and to kick in with a big groovy riff after it.

The title of the song is clearly taken from the sample, and the rest of the track was built around that first riff. “Masking my Contempt” switches between a 6/8 and 4/4 time signature. There are only three riffs in the whole song, and some bluesy slide guitar overdubbed. It’s short and sweet and what we set out to achieve with this first single.

The song opens strong with funky metal edge ala Rage Against The Machine, featuring buzzsaw guitar tone, grungy interludes, and an injection of sassy Southern blues guitar. The low-end really rumbles, too. It’ll shake the ground you stand on. “Masking My Contempt” is all too short at 2:26, but nonetheless sweet. It’ll leave you with a good feel for Wall’s dynamo, and wanting more.

Wall’s new album Brick By Brick (13 tracks in all) releases on August 30th via APF Records and will feature a cover of “Electric Funeral” by Black Sabbath and Karma To Burn’s “Nineteen.” See the guys live at New Cross Inn on 08.09.24.

Give ear…

SOME BUZZ

WALL - An instrumental 2-piece heavy fucking riff machine, built brick by brick & riff by riff by twin brothers and Desert Storm members Ryan & Elliot Cole.

Released on 30th August via APF Records (Desert Storm, Video Nasties, Barbarian Hermit), their debut album ‘Brick by Brick’ is overflowing with unashamed Iommi-worshiping, instrumental, sludge/doom metal. With the band taking inspiration from the first 6 Black Sabbath albums as well as being influenced by the undisputed kings of instrumental stoner rock, the much missed Karma To Burn, drummer Elliot Cole comments on some of the other artists they were listening to at the time while writing the album:

“Torche, High on Fire, Elephant Tree, and The Sword were on heavy rotation a lot. I also was listening to a fair bit of Power Trip at the time too. But as well as the rock/metal stuff, we were listening to Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Radiohead which helped in a way with some of the more spacey & ambient sections on the album.”

Like many recent projects WALL was born during lockdown with the two brothers living together in a small flat. With both of them furloughed, this left the duo with little else to do but write music to distract themselves from the boredom of being stuck at home.

Ryan wrote riffs on an unplugged Gibson SG, whilst Elliot tapped out the drum rhythms on his lap. The first time the twins heard how the songs would sound properly was when they were in the studio tracking their initial first two EPs, as they couldn’t arrange a proper rehearsal due to restrictions.

While originally starting out as a side project, WALL began to evolve into a more serious proposition following shows at Bloodstock Open Air, Desertfest London, Masters of the Riff alongside shows with Discharge, Will Haven and European dates in Germany, Czech Rep & Slovakia.

Now following these shows and two EPs on APF Records, the next step for WALL is the release of their debut album 'Brick By Brick’. Recorded at Shonk studios / Warehouse Studios - Oxford, by Jimmy 'Evil’ Hetherington & mastered by Tim Turan at Turan Audio, ‘Brick By Brick’ is essential listening for any fan of slow, crushing riffs.

We fought through the sickness, haze, and malaise of 2022 to bring you a brand new compilation before year’s end. This 48-band survey features acts from across England, a follow-up to our 2019 smasher! Big thanks to longtime Doomed & Stoned contributor Reek of STOOM for compiling and curating this powerful listening experience.

By way of introduction, he writes:

Re-emerging from the grim isolation of pandemic and lockdown, the latest incarnation of English bands express the freedom and ambition of the post-COVID age. Striving ever onwards and upwards, The English Underground scene is as vibrant and vital as ever!

As with all our compilations, this is a free download. Our intention is to give you a current snapshot of the scene with a spectrum of heavy sounds to move you and grove you. If you dig a track, click “info” to follow the band and get their music!

Give ear…