Weakling
Encyclopedia
Weakling was a progressive
/black metal
band from San Francisco. The band never toured and released only one album, Dead As Dreams
, recorded in 1998 and released on Tumult Records in 2000.
from their album Filth.
Weakling was initially started by guitarist John Gossard and guitarist/drum programmer Robert Williams
of Ubzub. The two ended up releasing an early version of "No One Can be Called As A Man While He'll Die" on a compilation tape Wintergrief released by Nahitfol Productions in 1996. Briefly, Gossard and Williams continued with Weakling adding Jim Mack on bass, and Antoine Reuben Diavola
on drums. Dissatisfied with the dedication of the members, Gossard left the band while the rest of the lineup continued on as Black Goat. The one idea contributed by Mack for the song "This Entire Fucking Battlefield" was later discovered to have been 'borrowed' from the Norwegian band Demonic's song "Nar Morket Faller".
Prior to the release of the album, a few odd tales sprung up about the possible ways it could be distributed, including printing a single copy to be given to a single fan in Europe
or burying copies of the album in the ground and giving maps to fans who wanted to find them. Band leader John Gossard has since decried the spread of these stories as a publicity stunt pulled by the band's record label noting that the ideas were never intended to be more than a joke between the band members.
Initially, Weakling was mainly noted for featuring guitarist Josh Smith of The Fucking Champs
(fellow champ Tim Green served as producer), but a recent reissue of their material has brought their work some more attention, and the album has been hailed in some circles, and by musicians including Fenriz
of Darkthrone
, as a masterpiece. Weakling's sound displays inspiration from the works of Scandinavia
n bands like Bathory
, Burzum
and Darkthrone
, as one might imagine it filtered through the lens of '70s progressive rock
: all five songs on the 76-minute album run at least 10 minutes in length and each is composed of at least 2 distinct sections.
Gossard and bassist Sarah Weiner later played together in the similarly short-lived doom metal
band The Gault (although Weiner was the drummer of that outfit); after that band's demise, Gossard went on to join established funeral doom outfit Asunder, and formed a second black metal band, Dispirit, in the wake of that band's demise. Keyboardist Casey Ward currently plays drums in The Husbands
. Drummer Sam Foster currently plays drums for death metal
band Saros
.
Although Weakling has never officially announced a split, they broke up in 1999.
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
/black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band from San Francisco. The band never toured and released only one album, Dead As Dreams
Dead As Dreams
Dead As Dreams is the only full-length album by Weakling. It was recorded in 1998 and released in 2000, while the band itself ceased activity in 1999. The album was initially released on cassette, double-vinyl and Compact Disc...
, recorded in 1998 and released on Tumult Records in 2000.
History
The name Weakling, according to founding member John Gossard, came from the title of a song by the SwansSwans (band)
Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
from their album Filth.
Weakling was initially started by guitarist John Gossard and guitarist/drum programmer Robert Williams
Robert Williams
- United Kingdom :*Sir Robert Williams, 2nd Baronet , Member of Parliament for Carnarvonshire, 1656–1658, and for Carnarvon Boroughs, 1659*Robert Williams - United Kingdom :*Sir Robert Williams, 2nd Baronet (c. 1627–1678), Member of Parliament for Carnarvonshire, 1656–1658, and for Carnarvon...
of Ubzub. The two ended up releasing an early version of "No One Can be Called As A Man While He'll Die" on a compilation tape Wintergrief released by Nahitfol Productions in 1996. Briefly, Gossard and Williams continued with Weakling adding Jim Mack on bass, and Antoine Reuben Diavola
Antoine Reuben Diavola
Antoine Reuben-Diavola is a professional musician from San Francisco Bay Area. A student of the musical arts since the age of 9 years old, Antoine has played a wide range of musical instruments and styles ranging from the laid back smooth sounds of jazz, to the chaotic ultra fast blast beats of...
on drums. Dissatisfied with the dedication of the members, Gossard left the band while the rest of the lineup continued on as Black Goat. The one idea contributed by Mack for the song "This Entire Fucking Battlefield" was later discovered to have been 'borrowed' from the Norwegian band Demonic's song "Nar Morket Faller".
Prior to the release of the album, a few odd tales sprung up about the possible ways it could be distributed, including printing a single copy to be given to a single fan in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
or burying copies of the album in the ground and giving maps to fans who wanted to find them. Band leader John Gossard has since decried the spread of these stories as a publicity stunt pulled by the band's record label noting that the ideas were never intended to be more than a joke between the band members.
Initially, Weakling was mainly noted for featuring guitarist Josh Smith of The Fucking Champs
The Fucking Champs
The Fucking Champs are a three-piece progressive rock band from San Francisco, California. They are known for their heavy metal appeal, based largely around shifting time signatures, guitar harmonies, and lots of rhythm. Most songs are instrumental. They are currently signed to Drag City...
(fellow champ Tim Green served as producer), but a recent reissue of their material has brought their work some more attention, and the album has been hailed in some circles, and by musicians including Fenriz
Fenriz
Leif Gylve Nagell , better known as Fenriz, is the drummer and lyricist of the Norwegian black metal duo Darkthrone...
of Darkthrone
Darkthrone
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...
, as a masterpiece. Weakling's sound displays inspiration from the works of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n bands like Bathory
Bathory (band)
Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004...
, Burzum
Burzum
Burzum is a musical project by Varg Vikernes . It began during 1991 in Bergen, Norway and quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene...
and Darkthrone
Darkthrone
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...
, as one might imagine it filtered through the lens of '70s progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
: all five songs on the 76-minute album run at least 10 minutes in length and each is composed of at least 2 distinct sections.
Gossard and bassist Sarah Weiner later played together in the similarly short-lived doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
band The Gault (although Weiner was the drummer of that outfit); after that band's demise, Gossard went on to join established funeral doom outfit Asunder, and formed a second black metal band, Dispirit, in the wake of that band's demise. Keyboardist Casey Ward currently plays drums in The Husbands
The Husbands
The Husbands are an all-female American garage punk band that formed in 2002 in San Francisco, California. The band has gone on an international concert tour in the United States and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They have two full length records on Swami Records...
. Drummer Sam Foster currently plays drums for death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Saros
Saros (band)
Saros is a progressive death / doom metal band based out of San Francisco, California. The band was formed in 2004 and has released a demo and one full length . The album features the band's distinct epic song structure, melded to fast paced melodic riffing...
.
Although Weakling has never officially announced a split, they broke up in 1999.
Members
- John Gossard: guitar and vocals
- Josh Smith: guitar
- Sarah Weiner: bass
- Casey Ward: keyboards
- Sam Foster (a.k.a. Little Sunshine): drums
Discography
- Live Practice Demo (1998)
- Rehearsal Demo (1998)
- Dead As DreamsDead As DreamsDead As Dreams is the only full-length album by Weakling. It was recorded in 1998 and released in 2000, while the band itself ceased activity in 1999. The album was initially released on cassette, double-vinyl and Compact Disc...
(2000)