If you like doom metal that tips its hat to the genres pioneers and past masters yet still manages to maintain a semblance of originality then you are probably a fan of bands like Green Lung, SpellBook and Sleepwulf, bands who have firmly nailed down that old-school/new school balance. One band who should also be mentioned when discussing bands whose grooves walk a tightrope between vintage and "of today" are Virginian trio Wood Witch, Daniel Perry (vocals/guitar); Wade "Wigz" Johnson (bass) and Ryan Mardre (drums), a band who make a noise that is deeply rooted in the past but yet still manages to sound as current and as relevant as todays morning papers and if you think that is just us gilding the lily then maybe checking out their latest album,"Synna Modor" might change your mind.
Our journey starts with "Solitude Is My Name" a song that boasts a riff that must have been used countless times by countless bands but no matter because it is one of those riffs that you can hear a thousand times in a thousand different contexts and it will still send quivers of delight running down the spine and it is especially effective here twinned with a powerful and superbly pitched vocal melody beneath which growling bass and thunderous drums lay the foundations for bluesy technical guitar virtuosity. For next track "Stones of Scorn" Wood Witch elect to go down the chugging heavy metal route and its a route that sees them trudging down paths not too dissimilar to those walked by Sweden's Grand Magus whereas its follow up "Under Satan's Shadow" finds them mixing proto-metal with a little NWOBHM swagger and panache behind a vocal that tells a forceful and vibrant tale of witchery and wrongdoing. Title track "Synna Modor" is a lyrical cross examination of a woman accused of witchcraft delivered against a backdrop of dank cloying and atmospheric doom that sees Perry vocally taking on the roles of prosecuting counsel, witness and judge, Perry finally getting the answer to his question of "how do you plead" with the barely audible word "guilty" in the songs dying moments. "Black Dahlia" mixes elements of present day occult rock with its older cousin hard rock for a track that has future live favourite written all over it while its follow up "Suspiriorum", a mostly instrumental piece, finds Johnson and Mardre laying down a thundering doomic groove for Perry to decorate with the sort of searing lead work that these days is a rarity to hear outside of albums from the early days of 70's proto-metal and doom. Up next is "Nocturnal Rites" another throbbing doom meets hard rock meets heavy metal song buoyed by a great vocal melody, only this one featuring a quite unexpected but totally welcome passage of fusion like psychedelic jazziness. We mentioned Green Lung in our introduction to this review and next song "Darkness Within" is a song that has a very Green Lung-ish feel to it in that it has that same swinging gait and carries many of those same Uriah Heep meets Pagan Altar characteristics, again this is a song that highlights the bands growing skill for writing killer vocal melodies. For their last but one track "The Sabbath" Wood Witch throw all their influences into one cauldron to come up with an instrumental that pays tribute to all the bands that have inspired them, even going so far as signing off with the riff from Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf". Final number "Raise The Dead" boasts a fist pumping doom/proto- metal groove anchored by steady but thunderous drumming and subterranean growling bass over which Perry serves up fuzzy distorted crunchy guitar work as well as delivering clean forceful vocals, the song serving as a punchy and powerful curtain closer on an album that has been punchy and powerful throughout.
The beauty of Wood Witch's "Synna Modor" is in the brevity of its songs, you will not find any songs here overstaying their welcome and getting overly indulgent, each song is a lesson in how less can often equate to more. Most of the songs here exist within a four minute time frame, with only two stretching past the five minute mark, its a case of get in there, give the listener everything they could possibly want in a rock song, and then get out of there quick, the band utilizing what some once called the Ramones effect but within the contexts of doom and heavy metal
Check it out ...
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