LP Review: "Ouija" by Dead Witches

Ouija

Many years ago on my first trip to Chicago, I took the train. At this point, I hadn't ever flown in a plane, so my first trip that wasn't in a car was on a train.

Had it not been five hours late, that would've been pretty awesome.

Because of the lateness...My friend and I went in search of beer. Well, as this particular Chicago Suburb apparently had laws in place and we couldn't find any beer anywhere.

In the end, we went on a long drive to secure some cold beer. The ironic part was that by the time we found beer, the warm beer I'd brought on the train, would have been cold.

But, this trip through Northern Illinois was interesting, and terrifying. We drove State Roads in the fog. It was every bit of something out of An American Werewolf In London. Had the gas gauge not been pushing empty, this would have been an enjoyable experience.

Dead Witches

This drive was a trip into the unknown and it was terrifying.

Roads wound around trees around drawbridges in the fog.

Neither of us knew where we were going.

Dead Witches...it's not a complete unknown, but it's certainly not transparent, but not quite opaque, though nearly.

The Witches feature Mark Greening of Electric Wizard fame on the drums, but the real star of this album for me is vocalist, Virginia Monti.

Sometimes sultry, others angry, but always in the right mindset for the track at hand. Her powerful vocals sometimes contribute to the blown out tone of the music.

The record, though a bit short, seems to last. The vibrating grooves, the slow pace, and it all adds up to a wonderful experience.

Sadly, before the album was released guitarist, Greg Elk, died in October. This album is his swansong. He excelled all over the album.

Release: 2/10/17
Genre: Doom Metal
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds
Formats: LP/CD/Digital
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