All photos courtesy of Sargent House

David Eugene Edwards has been an exceptionally enigmatic figure since he first began to infuse country, Americana, and dark folk with an unparalleled intensity. What started with 16 Horsepower during the rising “Denver Sound” of the mid-90’s, took on a wider palette and evolved into the more personal Wovenhand. The Denver native also filters this sound through his less-than-conventional world view. The son of a reckless biker and a fundamentalist family, Edwards is an unapologetic, old world Christian with an untamable edge. Working within a darker musical paradigm, this dynamic plays out in mysterious ways as nothing is held back. By laying it all out and letting the pieces fall where they may, the resulting music becomes a sincere blend of Biblical allegory, heavy riffs, ethereal folk, Native American aesthetics, and musical flavors from every corner of the globe.

With the new album Star Treatment on the horizon, Edwards and his band of heavy music veterans—guitarist Chuck French and bassist Neil Keener (both of Planes Mistaken For Stars), drummer Ordy Garrison, and piano/synth player Matthew Smith of Crime & The City Solution—have crafted the hardest-hitting Wovenhand offering to date. The progression towards a heavier and more powerful sound has established them as recognizable figures in the dark underground, reaching as far as rock and metal festivals across Europe and the USA. Onstage, a figure in possessed rapture leads a rock n roll procession somewhere between fire ‘n’ brimstone and a shamanic ritual.

Match that with the presence of American metal luminary Sanford Parker at the production helm in Steve Albini’s legendary Electrical Audio studio, and you have a sound that attracts plaid-shirted good old boys and church-burning misanthropes alike. Beyond the admirable sincerity and devotion, the record is full of emotive hooks, thundering percussion, psychedelic twang, ethnic rhythms, and formless meditations on what mysteries reside in the heavens above. Edwards’ musical palette has truly become limitless, and Star Treatment takes Wovenhand’s sound to its most realized and accomplished.

Our discussion below attempts to explore some of these forces working beneath the surface. With such a unique perspective as his, Edwards unflinchingly reveals a few of his spiritual inclinations, his distrust of modernity, and finding a home for a sound caught in the sonic middle of it all. Sparing the finer elements of production and arrangement, the details of Star Treatment are revealed in symbol and intention. The album is streaming below, so listen to it sing as we ponder, how will the heavenly bodies bring us a step closer to truth? And where exactly does Edwards fall amongst the stars?

Noisey: You once said your goal with music is to spread the word of God. On stage you are in rapture, almost to the point of trance and possession. Can we consider Wovenhand to be solely “Christian music,” or is there something more at work? David Eugene Edwards: There is a strong duality enforcing Wovenhand: You have your father’s influence (motorcycles, lawlessness, freedom) on one side, and your Grandfather’s influence (piety, church community, duty) on the other… where are you on that polarity? Where does current Wovenhand fit on that polarity? [laughs] Currently the Standing Rock Sioux in the Dakotas are in the midst of a stand-off with oil companies pushing the DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline) through their ancestral land, and we are keenly reminded of our disgraceful past and present with the first peoples of this continent. The perennial Native American element appears more prominently than ever before on this latest album. How does that fit in your personal life, and how does it fit in your music?

Wovenhand has been embraced by many of an adversarial spiritual bent—for example, multiple members of prominent Satanic metal bands have professed admiration for your work. How does that sit with you to have such an antithetical fan base? What do you think is the attraction? [laughs] Star Treatment is a thunderous rock ‘n’ roll album colored with folk, country, and world music, but it’s definitely still a rock album. It seems like your music always will carry that “Denver Sound” pioneered by the collective works of Bob Ferbrache, Slim Cessna, Munly, and anything around Absinthe Studios. Is the newer direction a conscious departure? What can you tell us about the formative days of that blossoming Denver “Gothic Country” movement? I’ve heard whispers of psychedelic infused intensive prayer, engaging in Native American spiritual rituals, and other practices that might be considered unorthodox. Is there any truth to that? [laughs] [Laughs] Star Treatment has an expansive, sublime feeling, like gazing at the night sky—stars, heavenly bodies. What forms does this theme take in your mind, and on this record? As we look to the stars and imagine worlds beyond our world, do you ever consider the end of this one? It can be a humbling experience, especially since we’re living in such a volatile and frightening place right now. Are we living in the end times? Is that something you consider?

WOVENHAND TOUR 2016:

09/12 COLOGNE, DE @ Gebäude 9 *
09/13 FRANKFURT, DE @ Zoom *
09/15 BERN, CH @ ISC *
09/16 ZURICH, CH @ Bogen F *
09/17 VIENNA, AT @ Flex *
09/18 BUDAPEST, HU @ A38 *
09/20 SALZBURG, AT @ Rockhouse *
09/21 MUNICH, DE @ Ampere *
09/22 LEIPZIG, DE @ UT Connewitz *
09/23 BERLIN, DE @ Heimathafen *
09/24 HAMBURG, DE –
09/26 ARHUS, DK @ Train *
09/27 OSLO, NO @ John Dee *
09/29 HELSINKI, FI @ Tavastia
09/30 STOCKHOLM, SE @ Nalen *
10/01 LUND, SE @ Mejeriet *
10/02 COPENHAGEN, DK @ Vega Jr. *
10/04 EINDHOVEN, NL @ Effenaar *
10/05 AMSTERDAM, NL @ Melkweg *
10/06 LEUVEN, BE @ Het Depot *
10/07 GENT, BE @ Handelsbeurs *
10/08 CHARLEROI, BE @ L’Eden *
10/10 LILLE, FR @ L’Aéronef *
10/11 PARIS, FR @ La Maroquinerie *
10/13 ORLEANS, FR @ L’Astrolabe *
10/14 GRENOBLE, FR @ La Belle Electrique *
10/15 FEYZIN, FR @ L’Epicerie Moderne *
10/16 TOULOUSE, FR @ La Rex *
10/18 LONDON, UK @ The Dome *
* w/ Emma Ruth Rundle

Shawn Haché is not on Twitter, but one of his bands is.