Description

Purple vinyl with insert. Limited 333 copies

Chicago doom metal act Witchcross, performs doom metal based on the detuned sound of 1960’s and 1970’s metal. Black Sabbath and Relentless-era Pentagram makes for the best reference, as the raw production gives Dereck Anderson’s guitar a bottom heavy crunch similar to that of Victor Griffin while Bill Jannusch’s vocals sound like a wider ranged Bobby Liebling. Comparisons could also be made to Trouble as the occasional psychedelic ventures feel like lo-fi equivalents to what their fellow Chicagoans were doing around the same time. The album’s seven songs cover a fair amount of variety in only thirty-one minutes. “The Golem” proves to be the strongest track, and its grinding riffs conjure memories of “All Your Sins” as well as the Hebrew folk monster narrative. Elsewhere, “Final Days” and “Bad Trip” boast solid mid-tempo muscle that’d fit right in with classic Witchfinder. In general, “Scars” and “Black Mary” ride more upbeat grooves, and “Together (We’ll Get High)” displays hippie rock aspirations. With this in mind, the execution on Witchcross’s debut is predictably embryonic. The production isn’t too much of a deal-breaker for seasoned doom fans already acquainted with groups like Bedemon, but tracks like “Together (We’ll Get High)” would’ve sounded better with a cleaner presentation. The song writing can also get a little rocky at times; there’s nothing bad on here, but a track like “The Ebony Clock” succeeds in a spooky atmosphere more than a particular memorable riff set. While the band’s Sabbath and beyond influences are proudly worn on its sleeves, there’s enough variety to make the homages fun, and a short runtime keeps it from wearing out its welcome.

Track list:
1. Final Day
2. The Golem
3. Scars
4. Together We’ll Get High
5. Bad Trip
6. The Ebony Clock
7. Black Mary