Release Date: October 24th. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD
Second Summoning - Tracklist
1.The Talisman Speaks 03:09
2.At the Stake 05:26
3.Ash Walk 00:45
4.Black Procession 05:07
5.Buried Awake 01:20
6.Dragged Beneath 06:14
7.It Didn't Stay 01:03
8.Face the Wheel 06:05
9.What Still Stands 01:17
10.Battle Lust 06:47
11.The Second Summoning 01:56
12.All I Want For Christmas Is Doom 05:59
Members
Vocals - Jeramie Crabtree
Rhythm guitar - Raymond Palma
Lead guitar - Kenny "Doctor Nez" Charters
Additional guitars - John Hehman
Bass - Jason Carman
Drums - Nate Driggs
Special guest solo on "Battle Lust" by Maliciouz Doom.
Review
Second Summoning is the debut album from Doom/Stoner Metallers Witch Hound that operates with a classic Heavy Metal and Proto-Metal heartbeat that has a gloomy atmosphere giving the whole record a stripped back essence especially with how the album has been presented and recorded. This gives Second Summoning a distinctive underground metal feel which also gives this a grimy lo-fi delivery which is one of the album’s main strengths.
Nothing feels over-produced or over delivered as Witch Hound get straight down to business in creating a direct style of Doom/Stoner Metal that should find a dedicated audience for fans of Black Sabbath, Uncle Acid & The Deaadbeats and Saint Vitus. Though, you could add Monolord and Electric Wizard to that list especially when Second Summoning dedicates a huge amount of time of the album playing a violent level of distorted fuzz which comes truly alive through the excellent batch of opening tracks of The Talisman Speaks, At The Stake and Black Procession.
Witch Hound adds a lot of intricate Occult, Trippy and Gloomy sound effects which gives this record an almost seedy Seventies / Eighties Horror Movie soundtrack vibe. The Seventies Occult Rock and Proto-Metal vibes becomes an essential part of the album when Witch Hound write lyrics that taps right into the outlandish tropes of Heavy Metal with a layer of Doom Metal atmospherics being the real icing on the cake.
Witch Hound aren’t reinventing the wheel here but they’re delivering a classic style of Doom/Stoner Metal that’s been an essential part of the underground scene for the best part of half a century. Though, they do add modern sound effects which sometimes gives the album a truly contemporary feel. There is a lot to dissect and devour on this record as it contains twelve tracks which all have their own great stories to tell including the shorter tracks that act as musical interludes. These tracks sometimes even have the most fucked up sound effects within the overall storyline of the album especially on Buried Awake, It Didn’t Stay and What Still Stands.
The majority of the longer tracks sees Witch Hound playing with that soundtrack framework whilst blending Stoner Metal grooves against a musical landscape filled with distorted melodies, gloomy instrumental sounds and muscular vocals that never feel out of place. There’s also some sublime Psychedelic surroundings that veer into Drone and Sludge based dynamics whilst keeping that core Proto Metal and Occult Doom sound.
Other standout tracks to check out are: Dragged Beneath, Face The Wheel, Battle Lust and the awesome Christmas themed song All I Want For Christmas Is Doom which is perhaps my favourite track on the whole album. As it fucking beats any of the other festive songs any day of the week and I say that as a fully paid up member of the BAH HUMBUG crew. Plus that track acts as a perfect morality tale which I wasn't expecting at all.
Second Summoning is a highly accomplished and brilliantly entertaining album from start to finish. Witch Hound has great fun messing about with the dedicated lore of the whole Doom/Stoner Metal scene but also paying great love and respect which is a very hard thing to do.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Links
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