Acid Witch - Witchtanic Hellucinations (2008)

Apparently this is the blogs 667th post....and Acid Witch are worthy of it. In fact this is one of the most refreshing albums I've heard for a while, although one of acquired taste. With a name like Acid Witch you can expect some kind of extreme metal, but this is way above and beyond what I expected. From it's absorbing 'metal' cover to its intriguing song titles which could in fact evoke images of almost child-like menace. This record has all the trappings of a cult classic and reeks of the foulest cauldron! Acid Witch are about as Halloween as it gets, and they literally burp out a mesmerising brand of obscure doom-death sludge and I absolutely adore it. Too many bands seem intent on being either a) stoned, or b) slo-mo which can get rather tiresome, but Acid Witch refuse to plod, in fact they opt to take the listener into some slug-infested cave, cover them in slime, drag them through a cess-pit and dispose of the corpse in some old hag's fetid lair of rats, warts 'n' all...Acid Witch are a fine doom band. 'Swamp Spells' (great title) conjures a great mid-tempo atmosphere, but not only is the music wonderfully heavy, it always remains interesting and eager to create some kind of gruesome atmosphere. Vocally, this is deep and very guttural, and the bubbling into to the track takes me straight to the mad scientist's lab for a delve into brains and smoking vials. The riffs are pure doom sludge, creeping like a monster slug over some cold, damp wall, 'Into The Cave' is pure mystical doom 'n' roll dredged from the soggiest quagmire. 'The Black Witch' is slightly more uptempo but the synth-driven 'October 31st' had me gagging for a witch's brew and the brilliantly titled 'Broomstick Bitch' beautifully ominous and saturated in moss and slop.

Acid Witch are quite a find, a unique doom outfit who've avoided any kind of Sabbath cloning to create a truly monstrous mutant of an album. This is music straight from the boggy swamp, intent on filling the nostrils with its gaseous menace and filling the ears with the blackest silt. This is for witch's everywhere.

8/10