Deathwitch - Violence Blasphemy Sodomy
2003 - Wicked World Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Wicked World website.
There is something to be said for the resurgence of back-to-basics, grim and primitive death metal bands which has occurred of late - the appeal of knuckle-dragging, primordial-ooze dripping brutality has been overshadowed of late by more melodic, polished and, dare I say it, inoffensive bands. Gorelord are a good case in point - a band whose primitive nature complements the brutality of their songs and manages to make death metal genuinely sound dangerous again.
However, there are always those on the bottom rungs of any genre, and Deathwitch strive so hard to be offensive, abrasive and primitive that they come off as contrived and uninspired - which certainly doesn't help any when the music is as uninspiring as this. How the writers of this band's promo material had the audacity to mention Autopsy and even Death in the same breath as Deathwitch is staggering, and incomprehensible when you actually hear the combination of lower-tier riffage, utterly moronic lyricism ("call me total morbid/call me total morbid/I don't give a fuck/I don't give a fuck/yeah") and execrable soloing (note to lead guitarists - extensive whammy bar abuse and random hammer-ons do not a good solo make) contained within.
On the back of the promo CD, there is a handy little caveat which reads; "Note to Journalists: Deathwitch don't give a FUCK what you think...". Which is nice to know, since I can barely find anything to recommend about this album. 'Blood Sucking Fuck' has a mid-section that sets the head nodding nicely, the vocalist's not-quite-screechy-not-quite-growly vox are an interesting break from the norm, but that's about it.
Check out Gorelord instead.
4/10
2003 - Wicked World Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Wicked World website.
There is something to be said for the resurgence of back-to-basics, grim and primitive death metal bands which has occurred of late - the appeal of knuckle-dragging, primordial-ooze dripping brutality has been overshadowed of late by more melodic, polished and, dare I say it, inoffensive bands. Gorelord are a good case in point - a band whose primitive nature complements the brutality of their songs and manages to make death metal genuinely sound dangerous again.
However, there are always those on the bottom rungs of any genre, and Deathwitch strive so hard to be offensive, abrasive and primitive that they come off as contrived and uninspired - which certainly doesn't help any when the music is as uninspiring as this. How the writers of this band's promo material had the audacity to mention Autopsy and even Death in the same breath as Deathwitch is staggering, and incomprehensible when you actually hear the combination of lower-tier riffage, utterly moronic lyricism ("call me total morbid/call me total morbid/I don't give a fuck/I don't give a fuck/yeah") and execrable soloing (note to lead guitarists - extensive whammy bar abuse and random hammer-ons do not a good solo make) contained within.
On the back of the promo CD, there is a handy little caveat which reads; "Note to Journalists: Deathwitch don't give a FUCK what you think...". Which is nice to know, since I can barely find anything to recommend about this album. 'Blood Sucking Fuck' has a mid-section that sets the head nodding nicely, the vocalist's not-quite-screechy-not-quite-growly vox are an interesting break from the norm, but that's about it.
Check out Gorelord instead.
4/10
