Release Date: October 31st 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl
Mountains Of Neptune - Tracklisting
Mountains Of Neptune
Members
Daz Rowlands - guitar, FX
Matt Bowyer - drums
Tomas Cairn - bass guitar
Review
Cult underground Doom/Stoner Metallers SPACE WITCH return after a lengthy eight year absence with their latest album Mountains Of Neptune. The band have regrouped as a mighty POWER TRIO with Matt Bowyer now behind the drums. Daz Rowlands (Guitar/FX) and Tomas Cairn (Bass) are still here with SPACE WITCH transforming into a gloomy Instrumental Metal band for their new album. This record is a COSMIC DOOM/SPACE METAL album in my mind but Daz stated recently it’s a HORROR SPACE METAL album.
The record perhaps pays homage to the likes of the ALIEN franchise and EVENT HORIZON. The amazing artwork fully sets the scene, tone and direction of the record. The artwork is designed by the infamous Stephanie Cantu aka COSMIC EVE who puts herself into the centre of the gloomy and spaced out surroundings of an unknown HORROR that awaits you within the whole creative storyline that SPACE WITCH have superbly drawn up.
I was sceptical about the lack of vocals but SPACE WITCH has transformed into INSTRUMENTAL MASTERS with this album. The album is made up of one lengthy thirty eight minute track that does feel it’s made up of individual chapters each telling a different piece of the story and narrative for this sludgy and F/X heavy ride into the COSMIC unknown.
The effects and trippy noises have a classic Science Fiction element to them with the music being a mixture of long drawn out soundscapes and fast-paced sonic warfare based grooves. Elements of Doom, Sludge, Drone, Psych, Ambient, Stoner and Post-Metal vibes ultimately make their mark with SPACE WITCH drawing upon influences such as ZOROASTER, PELICAN, SLEEP and other great bands from the WEEDIAN scene. Though, SPACE WITCH also draws upon the likes of John Carpenter and Goblin in places. Perhaps not the style of music they're known for but how to keep the audience captivated with a soundtrack level of storytelling throughout the whole album.
Distorted guitar tones and an abstract rhythm section feel like they’re battling unseen forces with some uncompromising moments of down-tuned screeching guitars and bombastic psychedelic effects. Mountains Of Neptune captures a seedy slice of Seventies Horror and Science Fiction which you don’t really experience that much unless by the likes of CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC and BONGRIPPER but SPACE WITCH offers a more cerebral and gritty style. There are a multitude of different sounding riff-centric passages which allows the Ambient and Psychedelic melodies to become more GLOOM & DOOM which fully take over within the final third of the album.
Mountains Of Neptune ends on a triumphant finish with the COSMIC DOOM and SPACE HORROR themes being hammered home convincingly which allows this to be one of the most understated, technically impressive and brilliantly entertaining instrumental records of the year. Dare I say this is without doubt my favourite album from SPACE WITCH yet. And if SPACE WITCH decides to stay as a fully fledged instrumental metal band for future records then they’ll have no complaints from me.
Words by Steve Howe
Mountains Of Neptune will be available for free download on October 31st 2025 from spacewitch.bandcamp.com and on all major streaming platforms.
