Dorthia Cottrell Tenders An Entrancing Elegy In “Family Annihilator”
Singer Dorthia Cottrell made her name at the forefront of doom metal band Windhand, guiding imposing anthems and hypnotic jams with her soulful voice. It’s a resonant voice, capable of expressing power and vulnerability, that compliments the heavy, foreboding soundscapes of her main outfit, but is also more than capable of enriching other sounds and genres. Such was the case on her 2015 self-titled debut solo album which found her using her voice to explore the often-ignored gothic corner of Americana. Earlier this year, Cottrell continued that probe into the eerie corners of roots music with her second solo release Death Folk Country, a sweeping eleven-track record that finds Cottrell wandering the ominous ambiance of the rural south. Stark and harrowing, it’s a gripping record best previewed by the eerie visual and tonal aesthetic of “Family Annihilator,” the album’s lead single.
Directed by Richard Francisco Howard and Jonathan Howard, the video opens up with a chilling scene as Cottrell strums a melancholy folk melody with blood dripping from her fingers. Decay and corruption come across as initial themes in this way, with the iconic visual of a pristine Gretsch White Falcon becoming defiled and tainted as one hand slides between chords and the other hand picks away at the strings. As the video continues, apprehensive dread sets in as shots move from retreating portraits to spectral tracking. Deep in the video, innocence is explored with the introduction of an infant, but even its own caretakers are defiled in one of the more striking scenes from the lengthy and remarkable video.
Musically, Cottrell is nothing short of radiant, even if that glow is tinged with sorrow. Her voice drifts through the song, directing the lumbering march with somber grace as it takes time to expose the reality of her surroundings. Lyrically, the song seems to match those feelings of corruption and decay from the video, though Cottrell frames these from the perspective of conservation, trying to save this land before it’s run over by malcontents and ne’er-do-wel. Immersing herself so much in the imagery of rustic Southern life, it’s easy to draw a comparison to current social and political struggles as the South continues to be used as a testing ground for malicious and vicious targeting of marginalized communities. But it’s also abstract enough that it could just be seen as a pastoral heroine trying to save her community while in the middle of a Robert W. Chambers conflict. In this way, “Family Annihilator” serves as a great bridge between Windhand and Cottrell’s solo work, with an ominous aesthetic that could be viewed as exploring mystic gloom or resentful personal shame. Whatever the conclusion, the song itself is a moving piece of music that speaks to the versatile talent Cottrell yields as an artist.
You can watch the video for “Family Annihilator” below and to stream or purchase Death Folk Country, you can click this link to view a complete list of platforms and outlets. Make sure you’re following Dorthia Cottrell on Instagram too to make sure you don’t miss any new videos or announcements.
