Whoa, nelly! Doom, thy name is King Witch! Like a sped up version of “Black Sabbath”, “Beneath The Waves” crashes forth onto the shore washing listeners with these hellish sounds heralded by menacing bells and Laura Donnelly’s unparalleled pipes.
And that’s just the entry point into Under The Mountain, friends! On King Witch’s debut they hold nothing back and the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.
The pudding in question here? The delectable slab of unholy rawk that is “Carnal Sacrifice”! Riffs? Got those. Heavy metal shreddin’ solos? Fuck yeah! Kickass vocals? Are you not paying attention?!?! Hells yes!
I’d be remiss not to mention the Wilson sisters here at some point before we get too deep as Donnelly brims with that ’70’s early Heart-vibe that sent quakes through unsuspecting earholes then but sounds even more raw and awesome now.
The strength of “Solitary” just showcase that King Witch can also craft these intricate sonic journeys in addition to quick heavy bangers, coupled with an unbridled Donnelly wail and the shit really hits the fan as this 6+ minute jam lumbers on with Simon Anger’s bass playing providing these perfectly placed prog pulses underneath.
So how do you follow up THAT bad mammer jammer of a song? By an even MORE kickass tune like the title track which just rips with riffs and speed. It shreds vocally and overall sonically due to Jamie Gilchrist’s groove-laden guitars and Lyle Brown’s thorough pummeling.
“Approaching The End” sounds like a fitting conclusion to the album but instead the track heralds barely the middle as it clamors on with subtle nods to “Snowblind”. Moving forward, “Ancients” takes King Witch’s sound to yet another level by scaling back the aural onslaught to give listeners an acoustic-driven bluesy ditty that’s still just as heavy as what preceded it.
“Hunger” keeps the momentum alive with a cacophony of sounds yielding another fantastic track but it’s Donnelly screaming “Set yourself free!!!” right before a righteously raucous conclusion on “Possession” that’ll really turn your heads. Then there’s a point during closer “Black Dog Blues” where Donnelly gives a menacing laugh before Brown, Anger, and Gilchrist firmly synch up and shred out as air raid sirens blare on. That’s the bit that’ll really turn your head. And leave you gasping for breath, wanting more.
Under The Mountain is out on February 9th through Listenable Records. You can get yours here. For the latest on King Witch, head on over here.