The Well Announce European Tour Dates, Bringing Heavy Psych To Italy, Germany, France, And More

There’s something especially endearing about watching a good band crush it in a genre that sometimes feels oversaturated. It’s a reminder that even though plenty of bands and labels jumped on a specific sound to cash in on the popularity of a few groundbreaking acts, there was a reason that that specific flavor of riff-fueled rock piqued our interest in the first place.

In this case, that genre is stoner/doom metal, and that band is The Well from Austin, Texas.

At Kerrang!’s recent showcase featuring Mutoid Man and Ruby The Hatchet at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, New York, The Well kicked off the night – and kicked everyone’s asses – with their brand of stripped-down no-holds-barred heavy psychedelic rock. From start to finish, this southern three piece was a treat to listen to, and seemed to reveal what we all knew in our heart of hearts: it was time to drink all the damn whiskey and bang our heads until they hurt.

Even the most entrenched Brooklyn heshers, often jaded by living in the City of Everything and desensitized to Sabbathian acts with ‘The’ in their names, couldn’t help but bob excitedly to the band’s powerful set. It’s rare that the first band of the evening is on everyone’s lips by the end of the night, but as the crowd stalked away from Vitus, there was plenty of talk about catching The Well the next time they were in town.

It’s not simply that The Well are heavy (they are) or that their riffs are tasty as the Dickens (fuck yeah, they are). What sets The Well apart from the legion of imitators out there is that they straddle the line between both theatrical and honest. Sure, their echoing vocals and wily guitar solos evoke pagan images of lit candles surrounding bronze vessels writhing with poisonous snakes… but their music also sounds like it could be played by three Texans in a sweaty-ass room out in the middle of nowhere. The Well’s lack of studio magic and production trickery only makes the fact that three people made music this huge all the more magical.

Lucky for European heads, a chance to see these riff-wielders in action is imminent. The Well has just announced a European tour for next month, which’ll take them through Italy, Germany, and France, including festival gigs in Bescia and Alessandria. Fans should expect hip-swinging sonic humidity with chances of hash fog and flurries of satisfied grins. If you’re in a neighboring country and feel like taking a trip, this is definitely a band worth a train ride.

Don’t believe us? Take a listen for yourself. Kerrang! will be streaming The Well this Thursday, Aug 2, at 2pm EST (7pm UK) on its Facebook page, so you can bounce along and mumble ‘fuck yeah’ to yourself in the comfort of your own home before heading out to catch them live.

Just a heads up, though, you either need to hide the whiskey… or clear your schedule.

Words: Chris Krovatin