Album Type:
Album
Date Released:
September
1st
2014
Label:
Argonatua Records
The Great
Depression - track listing:
Suffer
The Cull
A Watching Of Wolves
To Death (I'll
Drink)
Stare Into The Sun
Bio:
A hard-rockin',
groove-laden, doom soaked audio assault voicing tales of disdain and
suffering about this world gone mad.
Band Members
Kate McKeown -
Vocals
Dave McQuillan -
Drums & Vocals
Len Lennox - Guitar
& Vocals
Adam Clarke - Guitar
& Vocals
Richard Maher - Bass
Review:
Witch
Charmer released a superb and well received EP earlier this year.
It’s style of dark brooding Occult based Doom/Stoner Metal won them
a lot of fans within the Doom/Stoner Metal community. Witch Charmer
are ready to unleash their highly anticipated debut album – The
Great Depression.
So
what makes Witch Charmer different to all of the other Occult
Rock/Doom/Stoner Metal bands currently out there? For a start, they
have a great lead vocalist in Kate who oozes style, grace, confidence
with her deliciously dark doom tinged vocals. Though Witch Charmer
boast 4 band members who provide vocals at different times on the
album. It is a strange and wonderful setup as the vocals can be very
deafening at times to match the atmospheric doom and gloom riffs that
await you.
First
track – Suffer – proves their debut EP – Euphoric Curse – was
only a sign of things to come as Witch Charmer set the scene for a
dark gathering that packs a lot of groove into the mix. The guitars
are primed and ready to unleash some magical riffs to get you into a
hard-rocking dark mood. The dual vocals of Kate and Len (I think it’s
Len. But it’s hard to tell when the band has 3 male vocalists to
choose from) offer a contrasting style to each other as Len feels he
is from a legendary 70s Hard Rock band who has seen it all. While
Kate is the newcomer aiming to prove, she can sing with the best of
them. Witch Charmer seductively blends the different genres for one
captivating tale where the mood has a slight dangerous vibe to keep
you on the edge of your seat.
Suffer
is the perfect track to open the album with as it shows you what
Witch Charmer is all about. The other tracks follow the same template
mainly spellbinding vocals from Kate and other members of the band
coming in with grizzled vocals of their own. The instrumental work
ventures from Pure 70s based Doom to the more riffier modern based
Stoner Metal vibes that the band excels at. Tracks such as The Cull
and A Watching of Wolves prove Witch Charmer are master storytellers
with their bewitching tales of doom and terror. The album has a
hidden addictive quality to it as the band make you feel part of
their dark world. Things become very sinister indeed on the second
half of the album as the riffs become ever more heavier and the
vocals slightly more disturbing.
The
Great Depression ends on a fantastic note with the 14-minute epic –
Stare Into the Sun – that sees the band venture more into the Doom
Metal side of their music. It is a dark captivating tale that feels
influenced by legendary bands such as Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus and
Pentagram. The Stoner Metal riffs are not too far behind to bring
this track kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
Witch
Charmer deserve credit in getting Mos Generator main man – Tony
Reed – to mix and master the entire album as it’s sounds loud as
heck from the word go. As he gives the album, a more richer and
heavier sound compared to their EP. The Great Depression is an
outstanding album on all levels. Witch Charmer may have the potential
to be one of the UK’s leading Occult Rock/Doom/Stoner Metal bands.
Thanks
To Argonauta Records and Witch Charmer for sending me a promo to
review. The Great Depression is out to buy from Sept 1st 2014 on
Argonauta Records.
Check
the Band from Links Below
Written
by Steve Howe
