First time at BA
Formed in 2009 by vocalist Kristina Esfandiari, KING WOMAN started as a solo project before evolving into a full-fledged band. Over the years, they have crafted a truly unique sound—melding the fluid textures and temporality of drone and metallic shoegaze with the transcendent, melancholic power of doom. Their debut EP Doubt (released in 2014 via San Francisco’s avant-garde label The Flenser) introduced hypnotic, brooding compositions paired with weighty lyrical themes.
This mystical sound caught the attention of renowned independent label Relapse Records, who signed KING WOMAN in 2016. Their debut full-length album Created in the Image of Suffering was released in February 2017, recorded with engineer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Oathbreaker) at Atomic Garden. A masterfully crafted opus of dirgey, ethereal doom-rock, the album layers crumbling distortion over hazy, psychedelic atmospheres—imagine a surreal blend of Black Sabbath and Mazzy Star. With deeply personal lyrics that serve as catharsis for years of religious and mental anguish, KING WOMAN channel suffering into art.
