Wailin Storms – The Arsonist

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · Published August 6, 2026 · Updated August 7, 2026

Wailin Storms is a southern gothic doom rock band from Durham, North Carolina. Their eclectic style mixes in punk, metal, indie, alternative, stoner, and heavy psych. Their expansive sound has elements of noise rock and atmospheric also. They originally formed in Corpus Christi, Texas in 2011 and have released several records including: 2015’s One Foot in the Flesh Grave, 2017’s Sick City, 2020’s Rattle, 2022’s The Silver Snake Unfolds, and their latest, 2026’s The Arsonist. They also have two EPs, 2012’s Bone Colored Moon and 2024’s Shiver. The band consists of Justin Storms on lead vocals, rhythm guitar, and lyrics, Ben Melton on lead guitar, backup vocals, Rhodes organ, and piano, Steve Stanczyk on bass, and Mark Oates on drums. The Arsonist is the band’s fifth album and was released on July 10th 2026 on Season Of Mist Records. It contains nine tracks at forty five minutes long.

Wailin Storms is a band that I was definitely not prepared for or expecting. The dense textures of sound that is produced with this band is almost unfathomable. “Dead End” begins this eccentric musical journey into some of the most interesting soundscapes that I’ve ever heard. The layers upon layers of sounds and bizarre orchestration of music is remarkable. The song explores musical dynamics and transitions so meticulously that it levels you at the climax. “Dead End” has a haunting essence with the rhythmic resonance and the subtle build ups are what makes the heavy drop so compelling. I really appreciate and enjoy the reckless notion of the song becoming unhinged but then grappling for survival.

The second track, “Heart Of Mine” is such an expressive song that showcases the amazing vocal harmonies. The soft at times music is the perfect back line for the vocals to express their power and presence. There is so much feeling and emotion within this song that it’s one the standout tracks on The Arsonist. “You Never Answered” is another esoteric and strange track that has layers of atmospheric tones and expressive singing happening. Wailin Storms has a lot of musical elements encapsulated within. The beautiful title track, “The Arsonist” is on another level. The mellow and divine vocal performance and clean guitar strumming is hypnotizing. More leaps and bounds musically on this song as the genius in the band’s songwriting is very apparent.

“Never Rest” is a pretty heavy song with a pounding rhythmic groove. The noise rocking elements are there with a punk attitude and a strong message about war. The next track is called “Saved” and it’s a soulful and catchy number that is fantastic! It has a lazy blues movement with exceptional vocals. The singing of Justin Storms is terrific throughout the whole record. Songs like “Patient Night” and “The Wind” are as excellent and vital as the rest. I hear a gothic and new wave elements in their music also which further demonstrates the originality and creativity that this band ensures. There is just so much depth and density to these nine tracks that multiple listens are strongly recommended.

The final score in this collection of excellence is called “It’s All Dark Now Where Your Eyes Used To Be”. It begins with piano and clean vocals and branches out into a spellbinding ensemble of sonic brilliance. Wailin Storms is a band that you can’t really categorize or label. They draw on many different styles of music and are never limited to one thing. The band ends this song and album with a totally isolated duel vocal harmony of “supposed to be!” repeated over and over. I really can’t highlight enough on how enthralled and interested I am with The Arsonist, by Wailin Storms. Being my first time experiencing this band, I want to check out their past catalog of releases. Wailin Storms has a sound that is unique and huge that can split in many different directions. I love bands that I can’t figure out and fully describe. This is definitely an album worthy of many listens to fully appreciate and understand everything that it has to offer.