All Them Witches – “ATW”
24th September 2018 0 By Gavin GriffithsItâs admirable when bands get restless musically; not wanting to conform to a specific sound or, become one trick poniesâŚallowing themselves more creative freedom to explore ideas with each project undertaken, and this can be said of Nashville rockers ALL THEM WITCHES. Having formed in 2012 and now consisting of members Robby Staebler, Charles Michael Parks Jr., Ben McLeod and Jonathan Draper, theyâve accumulated quite the back-catalogue in a relatively short period of time. Last year saw them release âSleeping Through The Warâ; a bold album big on sound, expanded arrangements and choral vocalsâŚbut here theyâve gone back to the drawing board, or, more appropriately, to the cabin in the woods, where theyâve written album number 5; âATWâ.
Yes about 20 miles outside of Nashville on the I-40 is a place called Kingston Springs, and itâs here the new album was self-produced to offer a more stripped back, raw and real recordâŚdescribed as being the most intimate, human-sounding album the witches could possibly deliver, thereâs no wonder that itâs self-titledâŚbut is it any good? It opens up with the interestingly named âFishbelly 86 Onionsâ and truth be told it sounds horrendousâŚlike Keith Floyd finally got TOO drunk while cooking and thought fuck it! Chuck that in a pan! I jestâŚmusically very prog-based it delivers off-kilter almost polyrhythmic guitars and percussion, coupled with the fuzzy sound quality and the layers of organ this sounds like something straight out of THE DOORS repertoire, while also having elements of more modern blues rockers like JACK WHITE; itâs an interesting start.
âWorkhorseâ tones things down ever so slightly and opts for a more country blues-based offering, the tone and the tempo allowing the slow groove to build up to a simple yet effective chorusâŚif I was producing a western drama for Netflix Iâd happily have this as my theme tune. Album highlight â1st VS 2ndâ is a more up-beat affair which again utilises a blend of classic rock charm and modern post-rock; more energetic, heavier riffs, grittierâŚmetal fans would lean more towards this one. The rest of the album then sadly disappears into the murky depths of disappointmentâŚsingle âDiamondâ shines about as brightly as a polished turd quite frankly with its lethargic pacing and sleepy delivery. Combining shoegaze with elements of stoner rock, even a sloth would find this boring.
At nearly 11 minutes long, âHarvest Feastâ is clearly spending the day at the all-you-can-eat buffetâŚitâs basically the musical equivalent of that time Homer Simpson nearly put The Frying Dutchman out of business because this song feels like it wonât ever end, before eventually we find closing track âRobâs Dreamâ which is fitting because by this point you are likely to be snoring. Another low-fi, subdued trackâŚitâs got dreamscape qualities and minimalist melodies, while also again harking back to that classic rock / early metal style, in places coming across as almost DEEP PURPLE inspired, but letâs not give it too much credit. Sadly, at the end of the day, while All Them Witches have indeed tried something different, which you have to applaud creatively, this rawness hasnât done them many real favours. This album is all about the slow burn and there ARE people thatâll appreciate the pace and nostalgia oozing from each chord, but itâs a step back from tracks like âDonât Bring Me Coffeeâ. A slow burning album, for a group of witches Iâd probably burn at the stake for crimes against entertainment.
Score: 3/10
Track List:
- “Fishbelly 86 Onions”
- “Workhorse”
- “1st VS 2nd”
- “Half Tongue”
- “Diamond”
- “Harvest Feast”
- “HTJC”
- “Rob’s Dream”
Record Label:
New West Records
Release Date:
September 28thFor updates for All The Witches, click HERE and to purchase the album, click HERE
About the author
Gavin Griffiths AKA GavTheGothicChav 31 Based In South Wales Favourite Bands: HIM, The 69 Eyes, Paradise Lost, CKY, Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Type-O-Negative, Turbonegro, Depeche Mode... Enjoys: Pizza, Jack Daniel's, Comedy Roasts, WWE, Horror Movies, Sloths, Panda's, Eurovision Dislikes: The Concept Of Being "Offended", Hype, Instrumental Tracks, Interludes, Overly Long Tracks