ALBUM REVIEW: Purple Hill Witch - "Celestial Cemetery"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 10/11/2017

Label: The Church Within Records

From the Deep Purple-indebted organ intro, to the bluesy pentatonic riffing, there’s no doubt that the latest LP from Norway’s Purple Hill Witch is pure retro-metal worship.  The pervasive garage metal swagger elevates some pretty raw material and proves that they have the chops to be a really excellent outlier in the doom metal underground

“Celestial Cemetery” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Ghouls in Leather

2. Harbinger of Death

3. Celestial Cemetery

4. Around the Universe

5. Menticide

6. The First Encounter

7. Burnt Offering

The Review:

From the Deep Purple-indebted organ intro, to the bluesy pentatonic riffing, there’s no doubt that the latest LP from Norway’s Purple Hill Witch is going to be pure retro-metal worship.  Thankfully, their enthusiasm and chops go a long way, and some inspired moments carry a record that could slip into pure nostalgia.   The pervasive garage metal swagger elevates some pretty raw material and makes me believe this power trio has yet to release their breakthrough record.

       

Opening track “Ghouls in Leather” is definitely the best cut on “Celestial Cemetery”, bouncing easily between first wave proto-doom and NWOBHM riffing meets punky metal hooks.  Guitarist Ingvaldsen’s vocals are strong and when he offers some variations (sometimes sounding like a young King Diamond) or the occasional falsetto punctuation, you catch him developing his own, more distinct cadence.  His guitar work, meanwhile, is distinct enough to be the star attraction –heavy on the balls rather than pyrotechnics.  He gets some sweet tone that sounds loose enough to be mistaken for some early garage rock, or a Blue Cheer outtake.  “Harbinger of Death”, in particular, highlights Purple Hill Witch’s ear for a killer riff, even if the refrain pales in comparison.  The title track, the appropriately spaced out, reverby “Celestial Cemetery”, has Ingvaldsen’s best vocal delivery, but highlights the relatively low bass levels.  It’s a shame that I can’t hear more of Andreas Schafferer’s interesting work, even if I can FEEL it when the volume is cranked enough.  “Around the Universe” is a good track bolstered by a really thrilling, Steppenwolf-style solo.  Kvam’s subtly jazzy kit-work is a nice touch, too.

The final two tracks, “The First Encounter” and “Burnt Offering”, while they have their moments, also highlight the limitations of the record.  The bass continues to be too low in the mix, while little guitar flourishes occasionally seep through the left channel at a level just quiet enough to be maddening.  The harmonica closing of “Burnt Offering” is a cool idea with an execution too minimal to really rock.  By this point I really wished there was a return to the gloomy organ music of “Ghouls in Leather” – with a solid anchor to the dueling guitar and harmonica, the song would be that much heavier, and more memorable.  While these criticisms may be quibbling, Purple Hill Witch set the bar high for themselves.  They’ve proven they have the chops to be a really excellent outlier in the doom metal underground, on par with spaced out weirdos like Captain Beyond or Italy’s Black Hole.  If they can capture and sustain the energy of the first half of ”Celestial Cemetery”, they’ll be in for one hell of a record.

“Celestial Cemetery” is available here

Band info: facebook