ÇÖKÜŞ: New Chicago-Based Band Formed By Members/Alumni Of Earthen Grave, Vanishment, Lair Of The Minotaur, The Living Fields, Witchcryer, And More Releases “Wolf Moon” Single
photo by Chris Wozniak
From the heart of the Chicago underground metal scene arises epic traditional/doom metal collective ÇÖKÜŞ, today unveiling an earthmoving new single, “Wolf Moon.”
Chicago-based ÇÖKÜŞ is the product of ten years of mostly virtual collaboration between former Earthen Grave bandmates, vocalist Mark Weiner, drummer Chris Wozniak (Vanishment, Lair Of The Minotaur), and guitarist Jason Muxlow (Witchcryer, The Living Fields). Even though Muxlow and Wozniak had moved thousands of miles away after the abrupt conclusion of Earthen Grave in 2013, the three stayed in touch, trading riffs, beats, and lyrics from their respective corners of the United States. The material that emerged saw influences from the usual suspects — Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Trouble, Dio — as well as old favorites like Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Kyuss.
Shortly before the pandemic, the group started meeting periodically in Chicago to write and record. Embracing a shorter, more polished format than their previous engagement, they privately released a demo under the moniker WMW in 2020, which generated a lot of buzz and positive feedback among those who had access to the recording. In 2021, the group re-branded as ÇÖKÜŞ (pronounced cho-koosh; Turkish for “decline” or “collapse”) and recruited bassist and longtime friend Patrick Green to complete the lineup and the material which will become the band’s debut album. Soon after, they were joined by another old friend, Steve Ligeza (Torg, Makahiya), on second guitar, and ÇÖKÜŞ began playing live.
ÇÖKÜŞ’ first album, An Hour Of Lies, was captured in three states – Illinois, Washington, and Texas – the drums and vocals recorded by John E. Bohmher, Jr. at Berwyn Recording, the bass recorded by Patrick Green, and the guitars recorded by Jason Muxlow, the finished recordings were mixed by Chris Wozniak and mastered by Chris Hanzsek (Melvins, Soundgarden, Helms Alee). The visual elements including the logo, album and single art, and video content was handled by Tom Denney (Soilent Green, Weedeater, Rwake)
While An Hour Of Lies will be released late this Summer, ÇÖKÜŞ presents a harbinger of the record with the new single, “Wolf Moon,” with it writing, “‘Wolf Moon’ is one of the last -- and longer -- songs written for the album, but quickly became a favorite, so we decided to release this one first. It's a lot of fun to play, too. Musically, it features some odd scales and feels, which complement the lyrical themes well. It pairs well with Halloween and haunted walks through the woods.”
Watch ÇÖKÜŞ’ “Wolf Moon” visualizer HERE and stream the song HERE.
The full details on An Hour Of Lies will be issued in the months ahead and will be released by Qumran Records late this Summer.
