Food for the Wyrm Release Their Single “Unfortunate Rake”

Food for the Wyrm is the evolution of California singer-songwriter Beau James Wilding into a darker, deeper and more aggressively expressive direction that embraces tones of doom, drone and traditional folk channelled with a determined passion to make the most of our one precious life. It is a psychic exploration and a passionate quest to turn fear into growth, dread into excitement and practice acceptance of the wisdom of the dark depths of the unconscious. We will all become food for the wyrm. She waits in silent darkness to devour us all. Death is certain; only the time of death is not known. The clock is ticking, don’t waste your time, don’t waste your life.

His new single, “Unfortunate Rake,” is dark, haunting, and sorrowful, a cautionary tale that may also seduce listeners despite its warning. The ballad from 1700s England and Ireland has evolved through many versions told from different perspectives and exploring vices like drinking, gambling, and prostitution. This version focuses on heavy drinking, blending traditional elements with original lyrics and arrangement. Its lively, boastful tone contrasts with its tragic message, creating a tension that reflects the complexity of human nature, how we can be drawn to the very vices that lead to our downfall.

He shares:

“We are often both sides of the same coin at the same time at certain points in our lives, and the song seems to speak to the frustration and confusion of feeling in the middle of these two warring sides.

“I was first entranced by this song when I heard it performed by Radie Peat. I was struck by the bare-hearted, shame-filled yet aggressive quality of this most vulnerable confessional. It is dark, haunting and sorrowful, a cautionary tale and yet one that may have the opposite of its intended effect due to its seductive nature.

“‘The Unfortunate Rake’ is a ballad (Roud #2) that can be traced back to 1700s England and Ireland, with many variations in theme and melody up to the present day. It has variously been sung from the point of view of a soldier, a sailor, a cowboy, a young girl or a witness to the unfortunate. Themes include a range of vices, from drinking to gambling to prostitution. The version here expressed is primarily focused on the theme of copious drinking. It is an amalgam of some versions, while entirely original in parts of its lyrical content, colour, and arrangement.

“The song and performance thereof are a juxtaposition. ‘I drink too much, I know I drink too much, I hang out with the wrong crowd, and I need help,’ is what the main character seems to be screaming in a literal sense. But the boisterous delivery and braggadocious pageantry of being guided to one’s doom by the four sturdy brewers seems to tell an entirely different story about where the anti-hero stands in relation to his vices. This juxtaposition is, in fact, where the song’s allure principally lies for me and reflects the complexity of being human. We are often both sides of the same coin at the same time at certain points in our lives, and the song seems to speak to the frustration and confusion of feeling in the middle of these two warring sides.”

Food for the Wyrm’s upcoming debut album, A Wicked Huntsman, was recorded live at Analogue Catalogue Studios in Ireland while the artist was on tour. Beau and the band had been playing a handful of uniquely interpreted Irish folk songs for the last couple of years, and it only seemed fitting that these songs be recorded in their ancestral home. The record consists of four Irish folk songs, one Blind Willie Johnson-inspired song and three original compositions rendered in an aggressive, dark and driving manner influenced equally by hardcore punk and traditional metal as much as the folk tradition.

He shares:

“The eight tracks are meant to be representations of challenging life experiences, different qualities of human suffering that one must fully experience in order to transcend them to find wisdom and purpose on the other side.”

Food for the Wyrm “Unfortunate Rake” single artwork