A refreshing slab of intricately woven Doom, the latest from Australia’s Witchskull is a must listen in 2020. Mixing Sabbath-style darkness with the experimental nature of Desert Rawk legends like Kyuss, A Driftwood Cross is an evolution of Doom and an album that should set the bar for the genre going forward.
The solemn sounds of “Black Cathedrals” start this sucker off and it’s as if the NWOBHM is beginning anew in the 21st Century. Then “Baphomet’s Child” injects some propulsive shredding from Marcus De Pasquale and a pointed percussive fury by Joel Green while “This Silent Place” is laced with gorgeously constructed guitar lines that segue from heavy to heavenly with ease.
“The Red Altar” has these classic sounds giving listeners a familiar feel with Tony McMahon’s foundation-shaking bass tones which will rattle you to the core when paired with De Pasquale’s vibrato before the track takes a trip towards its’ riff-fueled conclusion with haunting guitar and vocal lines. Speaking of being fueled by the riffage, “Dresden” is a veritable riff train as it speeds forward until a bluesy breakdown builds to a showdown showcasing the sonic might of Witchskull.
“Nero Order” shimmies right out of the gate with an ominous bass and drum rumbling heralding the oncoming storm as De Pasquale opens his maw with a ferocious, pained yowl leading into the beastly title track which closes the album up nicely with a superb slow burning six minutes of scrumptious shreds.
A Driftwood Cross is out through Rise Above Records on April 24th. Pre-orders are available by clicking here or here. For more on Witchskull, follow the trail of socials by clicking here, here, or here.