Album Type: Full Length
Date Released:
16/9/2014
Label: Self Released
‘Lightning
A The Door’ LP track listing:
A1. Funeral For A Great Drunken Bird
A2. When God Comes Back
A3. The Marriage of Coyote Woman
A4. Swallowed By The Sea
B1. Charles William
B2. The Death of Coyote Woman
B3. Romany Dagger
B4. Mountain
Bio:
All Them
Witches began conjuring up music together in 2012. Foregoing theater school to
focus on songwriting, Parks traded New Mexico
for Nashville Shreveport ,
Louisiana
Adding Robby’s longtime friend Allan Van Cleave to the fold on Fender Rhodes, All Them Witches cut their debut Our Mother Electricity. Almost immediately after, they began working on its follow-up 2013’s Lightning At The Door. Recorded live in a matter of days with producer and engineer Andy Putnam, the boys tapped into a distinct energy, mustering bluesy soul, Southern swagger, and thunderous hard rock all at once.
Adding Robby’s longtime friend Allan Van Cleave to the fold on Fender Rhodes, All Them Witches cut their debut Our Mother Electricity. Almost immediately after, they began working on its follow-up 2013’s Lightning At The Door. Recorded live in a matter of days with producer and engineer Andy Putnam, the boys tapped into a distinct energy, mustering bluesy soul, Southern swagger, and thunderous hard rock all at once.
Review:
Although All Them Witches made it clear they'd rather
not be compared to Black Sabbath and The Black Keys, the album has the
heaviness of the first and the looseness of the latter. Good news is that this
second release reveals the band's unique identity with authority. If you
haven't listened to it yet, you know what to do next.
All Them Witches starts their 2013 record (Note this review is for the re release on vinyl on 16/9/2014) with quite an original composition, 'Funeral for a
Great Drunken Bird'. In this 4.5 minute song, the band opens up with deep
ambience from the violin. Within 20 seconds, the multiple layers of sound meet
and immerse us immediately. Quickly helped by the sound of the guitar with the
meatiest fuzz effect, a long and satisfying riff plays before the rest of the
band comes in. The tones of each instrument are genuinely perfect, and with
this first song we can already hear the amazing work of co-producer Andy Putnam
and each band member. Lovers of psychedelic and heavy, you’re served, the trip begins.
The second track 'When God Comes Back' has a more
straightforward feel which will keep everyones head banging. The verse is built
on a style of repetitive call and response which is reminiscent of blues, yet
the power of the riff and the intensity of each musician affirms we’re still very
much in heavy music territories.
The band falls under the label of Delta psychedelic
rock, and mentioning the band's roots in the Delta area of Southern
America , from where blue emerged, gives context to their
sound. I'll be the first to say that
blues songs have a tendency to be too repetitive, but in the case of 'The
Marriage of Coyote Woman', there's never enough of that melody played by the
guitars and the keys. All instruments gel joyously with each other and set a
great mood as well as leaving the right amount of space for one of the best
vocal deliveries on the album. The first line, ‘I never met a salesman like you
before’ will leave you in awe for a long time.
'Swallowed by the Sea' features the heaviest riff of
the record, joining the ranks of Conan and Sleep. The light intro featuring
vocals, acoustic guitar and some bizarre harmonies in preparation of this long
and beautiful track. But beware, before you will board onto this 5 minute
journey, the band will show you what real heavy
sounds like.
All Them Witches is particularly good at laying down
solid grooves with superb bluesy melody, showcased by 'Charles William'. The
story unravels slowly, while the music takes us back and forth between heavy
tones and low dynamic blues riffs. The same applies to 'The Death of Coyote Woman',
regardless of your state of mind; you will find yourself nodding along quickly.
Towards the end of the track, the repeated guitar phrase going up and down
through the scale and the addition of several drums is another achievement from
the band, as they continue to create a tasteful and signature sound.
'Romany Dagger' is quite unique within the record and
could be classified as an interlude. The band plays a short instrumental that
shows their blues roots, as well as their folk influences.
The final track, 'Mountain' is yet another
confirmation that the band truly plays together. With the drums alone starting
this last song, it's clear once again how good every member sounds individually
and together. The richness of the alchemy, feel, and grove - whatever you want
to call it - permeates not only this punctuating track, but the entire record.
Words by: Zach Mizzi
The
vinyl is limited to 500 pieces and you can pick up a copy here
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