Release Date: July 26th 2024. Record Label: Everlasting Spew Records. Formats: CD/DD/Cassette
Horripilating Presence: Tracklisting
1.Grave Mistake 06:23
2.Second Demon 03:53
3.Malevolent Demiurge 08:36
4.Supernova Of Brain And Bone 07:23
5.Thousand-Eyed Stalactite 06:07
6.Horripilating Presence 06:26
Members
Luke - Throat & Fundament
Nic - Voids
Jason - Vibes
Adrian - Impact
Review
Horripilating Presence is the hard-hitting debut album from Texas, US, Death/Doom Metallers Void Witch that ultimately excels within its harsh and extreme environments with the band switching to araas of Sludge Metal, Death Metal and Doom Metal with relevant ease. The music is constantly aggressive and fast-paced which allows Void Witch to embrace new sounds and progressive textures within the whole album.
The vocals from Luke focus upon Death/Harsh/Guttural Growls but they’re brilliantly clear and understandable which I didn’t expect. The record as you would expect hits upon bleak topics such as Death and Religion with a few gloomy OCCULT undertones that took me by surprise. Void Witch played some epic classic Hard Rock Twin Guitars reminiscent of Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy along with which was a truly inspired choice.
Fans of Hooded Menace and Coffins will find much to enjoy and devour especially on tracks such as Grave Mistake, Malevolent Damage and Supernova Of Brain And Bone. Each of the six tracks that make up Horripilating Presence have their own individual story, creative journey and different styles of Death/Doom Metal that fuse other areas of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal with a deep sensitive Psychedelic style appearing on the most inspired moments on the album.
The record is quite unforgiving with it’s focus upon the harsh realities of life and death which become more transparent towards the later stages of the record where Void Witch bring a brooding Progressive Death/Doom style to the mix on the final two tracks of Thousand-Eyed Stalactite and the classic sounding title track Horripliating Presence. That track alone has the creative tone and feel of a classic and sinister HORROR MOVIE which allows the record to end on a highly satisfying conclusion.
Void Witch are a technically brilliant and highly impressive band with superb instrumental passages and guitar solos bound by the extreme sounds of the Death Metal scene which is elevated by the added use of the Doom Metal genre.
Horripilating Presence is perhaps one of the most impressive and outstanding debut releases of Death/Doom Metal that I’ve heard in quite some time. This is something special indeed and if you like your Doom Metal on the more extreme side then accept no substitute as VOID WITCH are the real deal.
Words by Steve Howe
Links
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