[Review] Shadow Witch – Eschaton (The End Of All Things)

Shadow Witch are an American-American band that offers a gritty blend of Heavy Psych/Heavy Rock and Stoner enhanced by the use of keyboards. The new album “Eschaton (The End Of All Things)” was released on June 21, 2024 via Argonauta Records and contains 8 medium-length tracks. The opening track “Speedy Goes To Sludgetown” is a good intro of just over 1 minute, a burst of energy and Heavy guitar riffs that lead us into the following one. “Satellites” is a pleasant track with more melodic traits, with fine guitar work accompanying us throughout the second art of the song. The vocals are warm and expressive and the rhythm section solid. Powerful, rhythmic drumming opens “Tell Me,” an energetic and engaging track with well-constructed guitar riffs and a punchy vocal. An adrenaline rush, it lends itself perfectly to engaging audiences in live performances. Between tempo changes and accelerations, the band incorporates elements of Rock and Roll, Garage and elaborate stretches with their own personal style. A blast of rock and roll with no half-measures “Nobody,” with engaging choral refrains, an energetic and engaging rhythm and melodies that stick in the mind. The instrumental section in the middle section with the guitar in evidence is interesting, then returns to the main theme and with the last verses takes us to the finale. Granitic riffs open “Let It Out,” the album’s shortest track, with a Southern twist in the sound, massive and powerful with that American heavy touch. In a continuous musical crescendo, the track flows, short but very punchy. Alternating between heavy passages and solemn choral parts opens “Dominu Sanctus Oblivion,” featuring good guitar interludes and keyboards in the background that add a sombre touch to the sound. The band explores another facet of their sound here, with complex textures and progressive contaminations. The intensity increases as the song progresses, alternating between more aggressive passages and more Progressive openings. An organ background with guitar arpeggios opens “The Lion and The Lamb,” over which a warm, expressive vocal and refined guitar interventions are inserted. The band’s more Progressive side is enhanced in this passage, by the dark and dreamy atmospheres they weave. An intense song, full of pathos, managing to combine the sounds of the past with their own personal touch, creating a fresh and modern sound. This track is so far the one that most emphasises the band’s progressive side with good use of keyboards, continuous tempo changes and complex textures that enhance the band’s compositional and performing technique. The album ends with ‘The Fallen’, a track that returns to a more heavy sound, with heavy opening guitar riffs and continuous tempo changes incorporating Prog elements. The vocals are dynamic and expressive, a real added value to the sound, which develops with guitar inserts with Blues traits and a continuous alternation of Heavy and softer passages. In the second part, the intensity increases as the minutes go by, concluding both the song and the album in a musical crescendo that leaves us wanting to listen to it again in the future.

Tracklist

01. Speedy Goes To Sludgetown (01:18)
02. Satellites (04:57)
03. Tell Me (04:04)
04. Nobody (04:01)
05. Let It Out (03:28)
06. Dominu Sanctus Oblivion (06:06)
07. The Lion and The Lamb (06:30)
08. The Fallen (06:02)

Lineup

David Pannullo / Bass
Justin Zipperle / Drums, Piano, B3 Organ
Earl Walker Lundy / Vocals, Mellotron and Samples
Jeremy Hall / Guitars, Synthesizers

Shadow Witch |Bandcamp|Facebook Page|X (Twitter)|Instagram|Spotify|YouTube Channel|

Argonauta Records |Official Website|Bandcamp|Facebook Page|X (Twitter)|Instagram|YouTube Channel|

Author: Jacopo Vigezzi

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