Release Date: April 05th 2024. Record Label: Ripple Music. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Apotheosis - Tracklisting
1.A Call To Prey 04:49
2.Wight 04:05
3.Nephilim 04:43
4.Bow Down 03:25
5.Sanguine 04:28
6.Cursed 04:24
7.Raze 04:38
8.Apostate 04:59
9.Ashes 04:25
Review
Detroit, Michigan based Doom/Stoner Metallers Temple Of The Fuzz Witch continue their journey into the depths of Blackened Doom/Sludge Metal on their new album Apotheosis that offers a darker sonic blast of aggressive grooves compared to their previous albums. Though, at least Temple Of The Fuzz Witch retain their seedy Doom/Stoner Metal vibe that the band have built a fearsome reputation upon. This record is full of harsh sounding vocals and bleakly opaque Doomed Out movements with the band creating a more brutal monolithic tone whilst having a fantastic riff-centric element to their music.
The whole album may be too jarring for some of their long-time fans to fully get on board with as they move further and further away from the Street Level Doom sound they played on their previous two albums. Though, the band is more in alignment closely to the SATANIC sound you initially expect or believe. Listen to the fantastic opening tracks of A Call To Prey, Wight and Nephilim which has brutal vocals, harsh growls, guttural screams and fearless sludgy guitars which captures the band at their most DEMONIC with a fearless creative attitude to match.
There’s still traces of their classic Detroit Doom sound within this record and Temple Of The Fuzz Witch still play massive amounts of Down-Tuned Fuzz/Stoner Metal on certain parts of the album. Taking the diverse Doom Metal sound of bands such as CONAN, Electric Wizard and even Primitive Man, the album becomes heavier and more interesting on the later stages of the record with tracks such as Bow Down, Sanguine, Raze, Apotheosis and Ashes. The mix of clean vocals and Classic Stoner Metal showcases that Temple Of The Fuzz Witch are quite happy to play their classic early sound but with that dominant Blackened Metal style never too far behind to keep the whole tone violently fresh and wholly inspired.
Apotheosis is quite frankly Temple Of The Fuzz Witch’s most impressive and exciting release to date. I'ma huge fan of 2020’s Red Tide but this propels the band into a different league with fresher and brutal ideas heard throughout the album.
Temple Of The Fuzz Witch may have found the sound that will help them break through to the upper elite of the Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metal scene. This is a seriously first rate album full of dangerous grooves that will either leave you a shivering wreck or pummels you into submission.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.
Apotheosis is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ripple Music.
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