Witchcraft & Watain

[Nate The Great]

So I finally recived these two:

Witchcraft - s/t
This album RULES! Talk about old-school doom. This stuff should only be listened to on a hot summer night whilst smoking a stinky one! This is easily one of the best doom albums in a long time. Think Black Sabbath meets Led Zepplin in the 21st century. In other words, the music SOUNDS old, but the songs are still fresh. Oh hell . . . I'll just review it in a few weeks.

Watain - Casius Luciferi
Erik and Sorath . . . do you have this? If you do, than I'm sure you have already found your album of the year. Seriously! For lovers of blackened thrash similar to Dissection, this is the absolute SHIT!.

Oh . . . and it looks like Xasthur will have a new full-length on Moribund in a few weeks.

 

[En Vind Av Sorg]

*explodes waiting for new Xasthur*

But seriously that Watain album is incredible, they really do deserve that description of "The next Dissection."

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

Wow, I'm salivating at the premise of BOTH those albums. *drool*

 

[Nate The Great]

They are both seriously wrong in their greatness. WRONG I say!!!

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

Where can I find Watain?

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

Ha ha, their first demo is called "Go Fuck Your Jewish God." Teh funnay!

 

[Tranquillian]

I turned Niklas Sundin of Dark Tranquillity into a Watain-fan

 

[Hell Mike]

Nate, of course I have that Watain LP with a nice A5 20-pages or so little booklet, it's fucking awesome, but Erik won't get it due to stubbornness, he's decided it's bad so he'll never give it a proper try. He'll probably say he has already but he really hasn't or he'd like it.

 

[Krilons Resa]

That Watain album kicks so much frickin ass. I'm still waiting on the witchcraft...

 

[Nate The Great]

Witchcraft should seriously be listened to while playing a ouija board, high on stinky, in a desolate field, at night with a full moon, and with female withches prancing around in the nude.

Oh . . . and don't worry Sorath. Erik will eventually get that Watain, and it will be number 1 for 2004 for him.

 

[JayKeeley]

Where can one get that Witchcraft album?

 

[Nate The Great]

I got it at The End, but you have to move fast on those Rise Above releases. The End seems to run out quickly.

You MUST, MUST, MUST, MUST, MUST get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

I got Watain today, from Moribund Natey. I'll let you know what I think in 6 months when I get around to listening to it.

 

[Nate The Great]

I'm so down with Witchcraft right now, my balls hurt.

 

[JayKeeley]

Witchcraft is a disingenious piece of shit. Nate - I take it you missed anything from the 70's? Fuck.

I'm going to review it just to explain why I think it's a turd. Besides, it's about time I got a sequel out to my Madder Mortem review.

 

[Caelum Adustum]

Watain

 

[Nate The Great]

Witchcraft is a disingenious piece of shit. Nate - I take it you missed anything from the 70's? Fuck.

I'm going to review it just to explain why I think it's a turd. Besides, it's about time I got a sequel out to my Madder Mortem review.

You've totally missed the point with the band.

 

[JayKeeley]

OK so here are some thoughts on Witchcraft, after having heard it four times:

1 - The music is good, and of course a complete homage to anything that emerged from the 70's. Nothing new, nothing fancy, and not necessarily retro either (in a modernized 70's sound kind of way). The songs overall seem a little vacant, nothing too memorable with all honesty.

2 - The singer ruins everything for me. Not because he's got a bad voice, but because he sings through that '1920's radio box' that can be used nicley to add an effect here or there, but for every line on the entire album? Less should be more in this case.

3 - So they have some obvious inspiration on display: Black Sabbath (almost every vocal line sounds like "After Forever"), Rolling Stones, The Doors, and perhaps some Grateful Dead. The thing is, this isn't merged together, and instead each inspirational style is separated per track. So it ends up sounding like a compilation of tribute bands for the aforementioned artists.

4 - The publicity photographs. Old suede jackets, white furry collars, all standing in the woods, peaking through the leaves. I think Opeth already did this, and for sure, the wardrobe could have come off the set of the video to "Get Back" by The Beatles. So it all ends up looking a little contrived.

So at the end of the day, I take back what I said about it being 'shit', but I do think it's slightly disingenious. Why would I listen to Witchcraft instead of Master of Reality, Exile on Main Street, Houses of the Holy, or LA Woman?

Other bands as of late that take the old valve-amp sound and make it sound new and interesting (progressive, for lack of a better term): Grand Magus, Hammers of Misfortune, and Solstice.

 

[Nate The Great]

I happen to enjoy it immensely, and I own a large chunk of 70's rock/metal.

 

[bones]

The Watain album rules. NED are really put something into their vinyl editions. However I still feel that the Funeral Mist album is a bit better.
I also think there is just as much "Mysteriis..." in Watains sound as there is Dissection.