The Third Eye

Virginia-based heavy psych rockers Book of Wyrms released a new single called “Storm Warming” on September 13th via the excellent Desert Records. I’m a little behind on listening to this one – and getting to know the band – but I’m trying to correct that error with this post.

Book of Wyrms is a four-piece heavy metal psych band with “extensive experience jamming in outer space since 2014.” The band takes influences from acts like Soundgarden, Hawkwind, ZZ Top, and The Melvins and puts their unique spin on it, creating weird, spacey jams that have just the right touch of old-school metal. The new song – “Storm Warming” – is a melodic, driving heavy metal tune with the signature moody female vocals, razor-sharp guitar leads, and flying saucer synth work in the background. It’s good stuff.

“Storm Warming” is about the destructive power of the weather and what happens when humans seize that power. This seems like an apt thematic element in an era where natural disasters keep getting worse! The song was mastered by Rob Wrong (Witch Mountain) and features excellent artwork by Stephen Krakow (Plastic Crimewave). 

Desert Records says: “If you dig doom, psych, or space rock but can’t spare 20 minutes, this jam’s for you.” Indeed – “Storm Warming” clocks in at a little over four minutes, so it’s a perfect song to throw onto a longer playlist or queue up while listening to the rest of Book of Wyrms’ tunes.

“Storm Warning” lands somewhere between ‘80s Judas Priest and Lemmy’s Hawkwind – I wasn’t kidding about the old-school metal influences. The band is a real throwback, but in the best kind of way. The single is Book of Wyrms’ third release on Desert Records. BOW’s third full-length release, Occult New Age, came out in 2021, and 2022 saw a standalone single called “SodaPop Glacier.”

“An incredibly hardworking band full of wonderful individuals, Book of Wyrms has a rapidly growing fan base. The band took their music to Canada for the first time in May of 2023,” Desert Records tells us.

I wasn’t aware of Book of Wyrms before hearing this new single, and I’m glad I’m listening to them now. The alluring female vocals combined with the muscular riffs and spacey atmospherics make them an excellent listen, and they remind me of They Watch Us From the Moon, especially because of the vocals.

Check out Book of Wyrms’ new single, “Storm Warming,” and keep jamming to their previous releases. This is a band that many in the heavy underground know about by now, but if you didn’t before reading this, now you’re in the know!

Support Book of Wyrms by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, Facebook).

Support Desert Records by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, Facebook).

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