UMUR "Evil Sound Screamers" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US stoner/doom metal act Acid Witch. The album was released through Hells Headbangers Records in October 2017. It´s the successor to "Stoned" from 2011, so it´s been quite a few years since the release of the predecessor.

Stylistically Acid Witch still produce filthy 70s influenced horror/gore themed stoner doom with various types of vocal styles, ranging from deep growling, juicy aggressive and snarling vocals, and even what sounds like a witch cackling. It´s inherently old school and in addition to heavy doomy guitar riffs, bass, drums, and vocals, the music also features eerie sounding organ/keyboards and horror movie samples which work as atmosphere enhancers. The material is generally pretty simple in structure, but the band succeed in bringing enough variation to the tracks and between tracks for "Evil Sound Screamers" to be an entertaining release throughout. I´ll go as far as to say that´s it´s their most varied and adventurous release to date.

"Evil Sound Screamers" features a dark, gritty, and raw sounding production, but it´s not a lo-fi sound production. The sound is made to suit the material and the combination of the two works well on the album. Acid Witch may be a little kitchy and B-horror movie campy, but there is something charming about their releases and "Evil Sound Screamers" isn´t different from their previous releases in that respect. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Witchtanic Hellucinations" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Michigan based doom/death metal act Acid Witch. The album was released through Razorback Recordings in October 2008. Acid Witch were formed in 2007 and released a demo that same year before being signed for the release of "Witchtanic Hellucinations".

So it´s not a particularly seasoned act (or at least they haven´t played together that long in this constellation) although all members have played with various other underground acts (Shitfucker, Reaper, Skindcrawler, and Harbinger, just to mention a few). Stylistically the music on the album is psychadelic tinged stoner doom/death metal with lyrics about drugs, witchcraft, and horror. Song titles like "Witches Tits", "Rabid Werewitch", and "Broomstick Bitch", tell that story too, and also the story that there is a humourous cartoonish/twisted fairytale touch to both the lyrics and the band image.

The instrumental part of the music consists of heavy stoner doomy riffs and leads right out of the 70s Black Sabbath playbook, heavy rhythms, psychadelic effects, and some dark burping growling vocals in front (which wouldn´t sound wrong on any Carcass influenced goregrind release). It´s actually only the latter element, which connects the material on "Witchtanic Hellucinations" to death metal, because the remaining part of the music is stoner doom through and through. The combination of the instrumental stoner doom elements and the mucilaginous growling vocals is what makes the material unique, but it´s also an odd combination, which takes some getting used to, and which also wears a bit thin after a while. It´s somewhat charming alright, but also a bit one-dimensional and tedious towards the end of the album.

"Witchtanic Hellucinations" is well performed and also features a suitingly dark and organic sound production, so upon conclusion it´s a quality release by Acid Witch and definitely an interesting debut album with a relatively unique sound. A couple of more hooks, and a little more variation between tracks could have elevated the album from good to great, but as it is, it´s still an entertaining release and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

siLLy puPPy Detroit, MI based ACID WITCH has been around now for over a decade after having formed in 2007 and have released three full albums to date: “Witchtanic Hallucinations (2008),” “Stoned (2011)” and “Evil Sound Screamers (2017).” While the band has found itself on the radar of the underground metal scene they haven’t exactly become a household name…. yet. In addition to the three full-length releasees ACID WITCH has been a tad more prolific in releasing shorter length EPs mostly during the Halloween season but the year 2018 finds a new strategy, that is Halloween at Christmas time!

Yes, indeed. ACID WITCH don’t crank out a bunch of wimpy Christmas tracks that totally go against their dark imagery and occult leanings, not one bit. With this two track release titled BLACK CHRISTMAS EVIL EP, the band sticks to their standard death doom metal mix of grunted shrieky vocals, slow plodding riffs with heavily distorted guitar heft. This is definitely the type of music that will get you on Santa’s naughty list and lumps of coal in your stocking but really, who cares when there’s Christmas music like this tailor made for true metalheads!

“Black Christmas” begins with vocal samplings, much like a White Zombie album of the 90s with creepy sound effects and some spoken dialogue that discusses Christmas traditions before the thundering waves of death doom strike with a vengeance. No Christmas niceties allowed as Shagrat regurgitates some of the most deliciously sinister vocal performances of his entire career as he gleefully narrates a tale of the holiday season gone evil. Nice touches of keyboards augment the evil that has taken over like Voldemort at Hogwarts.

Starting with some jingling bells and a somewhat jazzy schizoid bass line, a few archival vocal samplings gleefully narrate the possibilities of Christmas evil as the second track “Christmas Eve (You Better Watch Out!) begins. “You better believe in Santa or he will slay you” is brilliantly uttered from the narrator before the chugging death doom assault begins. This is great! I can’t help think that Spinal Tap with their 1992 lauded “Christmas With The Devil” has passed the baton to a new generation of Christmas blasphemy!

Tired of faux Christmas tributes where bands that profess to be badass suddenly make music that your grandma would go gaga over? Well, here’s some Christmas music to slay all that phony baloney cheerful holiday spirit. This is the type of stuff i want to hear during the holiday season and if the Grinch had this when he was still in scrooge mode surely he would’ve listened to this in his cave on the top of the mountain turned up to 11! The Whos down in Who-ville would not like it a lot. Santa with a switchblade! Oh yeah!!!!

siLLy puPPy Stoners from Hogwarts jump aboard this train

If anyone deserves to catch the new tag of “psychedelic metal” then ACID WITCH are without doubt one of the first on the list to be included. Once again this Detroit band brandish their affirmed “Halloween music” following-up their debut with the same formula. Once again this hybridizes down-tuned doom metal riffage, death metal growly vocals, stoner metal vibes, psychedelic keyboards and catchy classic metal melodies all in one package. It’s quite the “Trick Or Treat” actually bringing all kinds of things to mind when listening to this one.

Once again this band brings the shock value of Rob Zombie and his groovilisicous take on metal by offering up little skits of Satanic ritualistic activities inserted outside of and within the music itself to conjure up occult and forbidden imagery. This is a drugged out black arts and munchie seeking zombie’s musical dream come true. With crunchy down-tuned powerful riffage beefed up by disturbing deathy, croaky growls and the occasional lead guitar licks and psychedelic keyboard runs that evoke the druggie culture of the 60s by The Doors, ACID WITCH cast a bizarre and hypnotizing spell that always leaves me confused as if this should be considered black, doom, death or stoner metal.

The truth is that it’s all of the above. It weaves its charm by casting its spells intermittently by placing certain elements here and others there thus creating the correct musical alchemy. This is a rather decent follow-up to “Withtanic Hellucinations” but there seems to be something lacking on this one to make as captivating as the debut. Maybe it’s lost the shock value and relying too much on the “been there done that” factor instead of upping the game a bit, however this is still a nice little slice of eclectic metal mishmash that keeps me groovin’ throughout the entire run. Just enough new spices are inserted to keep it from being stale.

siLLy puPPy Detroit based ACID WITCH call their style of music “Halloween Metal” creating sonic spookfests with semi-kitchy occult laced themes that actually fit quite well into that self-described style of metal. The band released this debut album WITCHTANIC HELLUCINATIONS in 2008 on Razorback Records and did a great job of carving out their own sound from the start. While lead vocalist Slasher Dave has cited Pagan Altar as the main influence of this death doom extravaganza, the actual sound is much more inclusive.

What we get here is a nice series of chuggin’ down-tuned doom riffs a lot like the 80s Pentagram albums with occasional Sabbath worshipping. The guitars and bass are more highly distorted though, rather like drone metal acts Earth or the fuzzed-out freaks Boris. The most unique thing about their brand of stoner doom metal is the inclusion of death metal vocals that are really low and remind me of something between the unique vocal skills heard with the low vocal fry range of Demilich and the creepy croaking of Incantation. While death doom is nothing new of course, the icing on the cake has to be the psychedelic aspects mostly played out with the oscillating keyboard effects that add layers to the distorted fuzzfest that wouldn’t sound out of place on an Ozric Tentacles album.

While the tracks are all generally similar in construction with occult and party like it’s 1999 themes and a musical sound that makes a good headbanging horror movie soundtrack, it’s a sound i find very appealing and fell in love with it on first listen. The imagery is all in good fun and comes off in a similar fashion to Rob Zombie’s playful art of occult imagery and groovy, catchy riffs that sometimes have a touch of NWOBHM and classic 80s metal guitar solos. This album is certainly one hell of a HELLUCINATION and proof that stoner metal can be more than just slow churning riffs and getting the munchies. This WITCHTANIC spell has certainly left me hypnotized.