Release
date: May 2nd
2017. Label: Self Released. Format: DD
Witchfinder
– S/T – Tracklisting
1.Snowy grave 11:13
2.Smoke a weed
prayer 09:28
3.Brain's flare
11:20
4.Witchfinder 09:42
Band
Members:
Clément - Bass,
Vocals
Stan - Guitar
Thomas - Drums
Review
Psychedelic Doom
Rockers – Witchfinder – have a similar sound to fellow countrymen
Monolord but with a spookier outlook on their Doom/Stoner based
sound. Their self-titled debut album is an intriguing slice of epic
based Doom/Stoner Rock. It has shades of Black Sabbath and Uncle Acid
running through the album especially with the albums atmosphere and
with the vocals as well.
Opening track – Snowy
Grave – is a twelve minute track with the band playing a slower
kind of progressive doom metal with elements of psychedelic stoner
holding everything together. Obviously the album has a very sombre
and gloomy feel with Witchfinder excelling in creating bleak sounds
that leaves the album with a more chilling effect. The riffs are
played at a slow pace at the start but the band do speed things up a
bit towards the end when the heavier guitars appear.
Second track – Smoke
A Weed Prayer – is where the album becomes more exciting and
perhaps lives upto the usual influences of the Stoner Metal world.
With a cool opening sound that will make you feel right at home. The
band opts for a Black Sabbath style riff where the music is
down-tuned and played deliberately slow. The vocals from Clément are
dynamic from the start. Though it’s the music that will have you
hypnotized as Witchfinder channel legendary doom/stoner sounds from
the last forty years but with a more modern feel. This song is
perhaps the most experimental sound on the entire album as the band
tries their hand at creating heavier distorted noises. A very good
idea in parts but the song works better when the band play a familiar
style of Doom/Stoner metal.
Third track – Brain’s
Flare – is an almost twelve minute epic with the song starting with
a singular guitar that has quite industrial sound before the band
return to their familiar riffs. The song is purely instrumental for
the first couple of minutes before lead vocalist returns with another
round of Ozzy/Uncle Acid inspired vocal madness. Though I had a hard
time understanding what he was singing at times. Maybe that’s the
point, I don’t know but it shouldn’t distract from your enjoyment
of the song as Witchfinder impress yet again with the music.
Fourth track –
Witchfinder – is perhaps the least exciting song on the album. It’s
not a bad song, far from it. It’s a very good song, just not as
exciting as the other three tracks on the album Still, Witchfinder do
create some of the heaviest and spaced out sounds on the album. The
musicianship is what holds your attention again as Witchfinder
genuinely creates thrilling sounds that will impress the most jaded
Doom/Stoner Metal fan.
The overall sound on
the album is excellent and that’s down to no small part by Esben
Williams of Monolord fame who mastered the album. Witchfinder’s
debut album is a thrilling and exciting album that will find a loyal
audience within the scene.
Words
by Steve Howe
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