I had heard 16 Horsepower reformed recently for reunion shows (2026 in Europe/2027 in the USA), which led me to front-man David Eugene Edwards's most recent solo album, 'Mercurial Silence', from May.
Edwards gained recognition with Colorado gothic country group 16 Horsepower (a continuation in style from his first group, 'The Denver Gentlemen', who never released a studio album), shifting to his side project Woven Hand (or Wovenhand) after 16 Horsepower first disbanded in 2005.
After checking out multiple 16 Horsepower reunion shows popping up on my Youtube, I also came across this short documentary on him (below) from the yesteryears of the band, giving me more insight on the person and voice I've come to admire. It was also refreshing to see from the recent live shows the "all killer no filler" approach to the sets of zero breaks or ranting to the crowd between the 20+ songs, similarly to how I experienced Woven Hand.
'Mercurial Silence' has incorporated a lot more electronics seemingly than even the most electronic of past Woven Hand albums, and the pairing largely works well with the base grit and spiritual undertone (and overtone) found throughout his works. That spiritual thread sounds big as ever on this release, heightened further by the bombast and layered structure offered by the songs themselves, and the still-present uniqueness of his voice, lyrics, and delivery. Overall great album with some definite standouts ("Flaxstaff" might be my current favorite), and a great introduction to anyone unaware of his previous solo work/Woven Hand/16 Horsepower roots.
'The Preacher' Short Documentary (2000)
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