Californian singer-songwriter Beau James Wilding, aka Food for the Wyrm, has released his debut album, A Wicked Huntsman.

By Eleanor Banyard

Wilding presents his new release as an evolution into a darker, deeper and more aggressively expressive direction from previous work that sees him embrace tones of doom, drone and traditional folk in a way that attempts to make the most of life, including its light and its dark.

The record combines punk and metal energies, bringing in the psychedelic and consists of eight tracks: three original compositions, three re-interpreted and re-imagined traditional folk songs, and two covers from the folk lexicon.

The first track, Nigrido, is an instrumental piece that establishes the mood of the album, providing a dark and ominous tone that encapsulates the entirety of Wilding’s music. The Lowlands of Holland, one of the two covers, builds on from it with an eerie deep instrumental, added to by a quick beat and followed by Wilding’s vocals. His voice is visceral and powerful, combining with the instruments to present a rock-esque folk tune, providing a unique twist to the song.

Nobody’s Fault But Mine, begins with a calm guitar riff that continues the raw tone of the album, before being joined by Wilding’s distinctive gravelly vocals creating a bleakly intimate melody.

Unfortunate Rake, a reinterpretation of the traditional folk ballad, brings listeners on a story of misfortune and darkness: “come sit you down by me, and pity my case, my poor heart is breaking… give me four sturdy brewers, to bear up my coffin”. The gritty vocals add to the narrative, and links to Wilding’s “long … sense of impending death”. He’s confessed to being drawn to this song to present those who “are often ignored because they are not fun, not convenient to hear” in an interview with Americana Highways’ Melissa Clarke.

Lovers and Friends establishes thoughts of remembrance and nostalgia, with observations of “prophets of doom and destruction… dealers and bribes and corruption”, adding to the dark atmospheric nature of the album.

The final track on the album, Rubedo, provides a cyclical moment, where there are no vocals, just instrumentals, concluding the story in the same mood in which it began.

Wilding relates the six core tracks on this album to six traumatic life experiences, ranging from betrayal, loss, shame, cruelty, addiction and ignorance. As such, it’s an intense but ultimately rewarding listen.

A Wicked Huntsman is out now, and you can listen to it below.