Windhand made an immediate splash in doom metal circles with the 2010 EP they produced in their Richmond, Virginia practice space; two tracks of thunderous, sludgey mayhem that drew comparisons to Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard. Their second full-length album, the stylishly-packaged Soma, put them on the national radar, landing the quintet a few dark horse mentions in prestigious best of 2013 lists. Now the band appears ready to take doom metal to a more mainstream rock audience with their newly-released LP Grief’s Eternal Flower, tapping ‘90s Sub Pop alum Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden) for production work. The turn towards grunge is apparent in the new material, with undertones of Alice in Chains surfacing out of the murky sonic depths. Frontwoman Dorthia Cottrell talks about the new record before Windhand stakes out on a two-month tour across North America.

Hometown and homebase: Richmond, Virginia 

What is the story of how Windhand started playing together?

Dorthia Cottrell: [Guitarists] Asechiah [Bogan], Garrett [Morris] and the original drummer Jeff Loucks and original bassist Nathan Hilbish had already been jamming for a bit but hadn't played a show. They put an ad up on Craigslist looking for a singer and I responded because we were into similar music. I had always played and written on my own, but I'd always had my eye out for like minded folks to play with so I was excited when I saw the ad. We met and I listened to them practice and I was really into it. I didn't even actually sing that first day but we all got along and so they let me keep coming back. The first song I put vocals on was “Heap Wolves,” and we just kept going after that because it was fun.

What is the slow metal music scene like in Richmond?

There's not really a distinction [from anywhere else]. Richmond has a lot of cool heavy bands and we are all pretty close friends. There are some newer folks getting into the doom thing here I think, but I haven't heard them yet.

What were your first shows like?

I think I did pretty horribly but luckily no one told me, so I just kept trying [laughs]. I got violently ill from food poisoning during our first show and ended up going to the hospital. The boys did great though, although they might tell you they were nervous.

Slow metal or doom metal is a really unique trip. There has to be a challenge to make music that is slow and intense at the same time. How do you approach songwriting?

Other than the acoustic songs I really don't have much of a hand in the actual writing of the music. I write the vocals and melodies and whatnot, but the music is really the rest of the guys. I can say that from a vocal standpoint, a lot of the time you have more freedom to play around with melodies on slower music. I think it's important to try to keep the right mood and not overwhelm the music with crazy vocal acrobatics. It's about the song as a whole, and not about showing off or being out in front; everyone in the band is great at what they do but we don't need to prove anything. We are all working towards the same thing.

Is it true your song titles come from what the song sounds like rather being connected to the lyrical content?

It just makes sense for us to do it like that. I think you try to name a song something so that when you see the name you remember which music it goes with, I guess. That's a not a very exciting answer [laughs].

Working with Jack Endino has got to be awesome. What were the sessions like?

It was pretty surreal working with someone who has had a hand in music that has been such a huge part of what you love. He was a true professional and really did his best to use his perspective and experience to bring out the best in us. It was a less stressful situation having someone else doing the recording and producing, especially for Garrett, who is usually the one pouring his sweat and blood into recording us. I think it allowed everyone to be more focused on the songs.

It seems like the band is starting to crossover beyond doom/stoner metal circles. Are you guys sensing that as well?

Yes I think so, and we still love the music we've always loved, but I think it's natural and necessary to always be inspired by different things.