Photo by Alan Swan Photography
Edinburgh based four piece band King Witch make a triumphant debut with ‘Under the Mountain’ which is released via Listenable Records! With this release we get 9 tracks of genre bending, kick ass HEAVY METAL! ‘Under The Mountain’ was recorded and produced by guitarist Jamie Gilchrist at their underground studio in their home city of Edinburgh, mixed and mastered by Tom Dring at Vagrant Recordings (Dragged Into Sunlight, Acolyte) in Southport and comes swathed in artwork created by vocalist Laura Donnelly. The record serves as King Witch’s follow-up to their debut EP, ‘Shoulders Of Giants’, and boasts nine riff-laden tracks offset by the powerful yet bewitching vocals of Donnelly. Influenced by everything from Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to Mastodon and High On Fire, ‘Under The Mountain’ is as melodic as it is monolithic, taking its listener on a journey from soulful doom to full-tilt metal mayhem.
Opening track “Beneath the Waves” recalls to mind something that wouldn’t be out of place on an early Candlemass album with it’s pummeling/ hard hitting riff! Moving on, we have “Carnal Sacrifice” and and title track “Under the Mountain” which are both tracks that are borderline thrash in their approach. Especially in regards to the in your face drumming! With “Approaching the End” we get a Sabbath inspired rocker that plods along with some truly inspired vocals courtesy of Laura Donnelly: who very well may be one of the most exceptional vocalists in metal today! Her voice has so much range and expression, it is really a breathe of fresh air from the generic Ozzy and Phil Anselmo clones that we are constantly subjected to. As far as favorite tracks go, it would have to be “Solitary” which once again features exceptional vocals, but what really drew me in was the laid back, yet aggressive guitar playing of Jamie Gilchrist! On this track we get a bit of doom, sludge, blues and progressive metal all thrown into a track less than seven minutes long: Truly an example of great song writing!
At under an hour long ‘Under the Mountain’ is a quick listen and a great introduction to one of metal’s more interesting and innovative bands! No song is filler on here and whether you’re into faster or slower tempos you will be completely satisfied with what will bless your ears!
KING WITCH:
Laura Donnelly – vocals
Jamie Gilchrist – guitars
Lyle Brown – drums
Simon Anger – bass
