Witchcryer: When Their Gods Come For You

Remember the glory days when bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult ruled the roost, well, here is a band you may enjoy. Heavy doom metal riff masters Witchcryer, by the way I love the name, are based out of Austin, Texas having come into existence in 2015. In 2017 the band released their full-length debut album Cry Witch, and in 2021 followed that with their sophomore effort When Their Gods Come For You.

Beginning with the one-two punch of “The Devil & The Deep Blue See� and “Hellmouth� - both songs are solidified by a deep entrenched groove, heavy bass, ominously toned fuzzed out riffs with huge amounts of feedback and distortion, and Suzy Bravo’s inspired lead vocals, a near perfect vehicle for her witchified occult-like lyrics. Who would have thought distortion and fuzz could sound so good? Bravo’s vocals are sultry and loaded with feel. The spacey guitar textures further add to the band’s psychedelic sound. “Nemesis, The Inevitable� starts with mellow acoustic guitar and laid-back vocals before the soundscape erupts with intensity before easing down into quieter surroundings. After three minutes the heaviness begins in earnest. With “Quetzalcoatl� the band goes for something a little different opening with an acapella vocal in Spanish, channelling the sound of Mexico/Central America, before the up-tempo riffs break out with huge layers of distortion and the vocals delving into the occult. The riffs and vocals really let loose near song’s end. “I Rise!� is built on powerful drums and guitar, very Maidenesque with a little Black Sabbath thrown in to sweeten the pot. It’s a great groove with excellent lead vocals. The opus of the album is the last track “When Their Gods Come For You�, starting with a mid temp riff and as the heaviness builds, the vocals and drone-like guitar add a creepy occult feel. The added doom elements, again, remind of Sabbath and as the song progresses there are some nice transitions between soft and heavy culminating in a vocal and guitar freakout right out of the late ‘60s. It is like a trippy/psychedelic acid trip, not that I would know anything about that. A real celestial head trip for sure.

Another fantastic metal album from our friends at Ripple Music. This one will be in heavy rotation for a long time to come. Highly recommended!

Track Listing:
1. The Devil & The Deep Blue See (5:49)
2. Hellmouth (5:04)
3. Sisyphus, Holy Roller (4:27)
4. Nemesis, The Inevitable (5:40)
5. Quetzalcoatl (5:58)
6. I Rise! (6:26)
7. Blackfoot Creation Story/Spirit Power (7:38)
8. When Their Gods Come For You (7:34)

Added: March 11th 2023
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 465
Language: english

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