Yarp, I pretty much stopped writing metal about a year ago after I left my black/death metal band, Will of the Ancients.

I still love metal, and I still play it from time to time, but I felt like I was getting burnt out and losing sight of my non-metal influences. So I decided to do something I'd been meaning to do for years before that...write a blues album.

Seeing as I initially taught myself to play guitar by playing blues, it felt completely natural, and very very fun. While playing metal, it was all about technique, precision, and being progressive in terms of composition. But ever since changing direction, I've been able to focus more on feeling and groove and just plain having fun with my playing.

I should be releasing my full length solo album later this year...just a few more songs to write/record. In the meantime, here's a sampler. It's sorta in the demo stage, and it doesn't have vocals on it yet, but it's just to give you an idea of what to expect...It's kinda a marriage between my blues roots and the tonal aggression of my hard rock and metal influences as well.

http://soundcloud.com/blakkwater/stomp-n-strut