Witchskull's 'The Serpent Tide' - Album Review

I have mentioned previously on this blog how, over the past couple of years, I have been making a bit more of an effort with the wide subgenre of metal known as doom. All subgenres of metal are wide and open to interpretation, but doom might possibly be the widest and vaguest of the all - and my, still relatively light touch, explorations have led me to conclude that getting into doom is likely to be a lifetime's work, largely to the variety found within the genre. One doom standard bearer whom I have been slowly getting into is Candlemass, and I enjoyed their most recent album Sweet Evil Sun (which I reviewed here) which was released last year. Candlemass' more epic and anthemic take on doom speaks to me as a lover of anthemic hard rock, power metal, and progressive metal; but I have also found some love for the heavier end of the doom spectrum - with Swallow the Sun's excellent Moonflowers (which I also reviewed here) impressing back in 2021. Arguably, though, one strand of doom which I have not really explored all that significantly yet is the stonery, bluesy doom which arguably makes up the bulk of the genre. That kind of sound has generally done little for me as, in truth, there is only so much slow-burning Black Sabbath worship I can listen to before everything starts to sound a bit the same. As such, so I have tended to avoid doom of the kind which features endless bluesy riffing and a rather laid back overall vibe. I do not mind the occasional song in that style, but I tend to only listen them when bands include them as part of a wider platter. For example, I tend to the prefer the more recent Motörhead-inspired albums from the British stalwarts Orange Goblin than their spacey, more stoner-based earlier work - despite the latter still being a part of the band's sound. Another band which borrows from bluesy doom but generally ups the overall pace and intensity somewhat, though, is Australia's Witchskull - a power trio in the traditional configuration. Formed back in 2014, the three-piece have now released four studio albums - the most recent of which, The Serpent Tide, was came out back in June. I only discovered the band around that time, too, thanks to a video review of The Serpent Tide on the excellent Sea of Tranquility YouTube channel. Sea of Tranquility have been reviewing quite a bit of doom recently, and the band's name caught my eye - and based on their positive review I picked the album up when I saw it in HMV a week or a so later. As mentioned, Witchskull are a band that tend to prefer their doom a bit faster. The eight-track album is only around 35 minutes long, so none of the songs here drag on in that stoner fashion. The band's overall sound is quite bluesy, but there is also quite a strong NWOBHM feel throughout - with snappy riffing and a relatively raw production supporting the uncultured voice of guitarist Marcus De Pasquale. That may seem like a criticism, and I think it is fair to say that there are better singers than De Pasquale out there and that some may find him an acquired taste, but his strange delivery fits the mix of faster riffing and a bluesy atmosphere quite well - and helps the band to have a unique sound.

Witchskull's overall sound seems pretty set at this point, so there is not a huge amount of variety to be found here. The short runtime stops this from being an issue, though, and the raw sound does not outstay its welcome. The album kicks off with Tyrian Dawn which opens with a slab-like mid-placed riff which essentially sets the tone for what is to come. There is certainly more than a hint of Black Sabbath in this riff, but the song in general has more of an urgency to it - with a chugging verse which sees palm-muted chords backing the strained vocals of De Pasquale. The raw production means that all three instrumentalists are featured heavily in the mix - and what you see tends to be what you get. I do not get the impression that much overdubbing has gone on here - meaning that Tony McMahon's bass plays a big part. His rumbling rhythm during chugging verses dominates due to the guitar's simple pattern, whilst the drumming throughout from Joel Green is much more percussive - making strong use of toms rather than counting out a traditional beat. The song has a slightly strange vibe as a result, and the mix of chugging and riffing perfectly captures the band's core sound. Obsidian Eyes opens with some distant-sounding drums, which swell in volume before another strong mid-paced riff kicks in. Sound-wise, the riffing is pretty similar here to how it was presented previously - but this track feels more atmospheric overall. Rather than the stabbing rhythms of the previous song, the verses here feature some effects-heavy guitar melodies backing De Pasquale's voice - whilst the bass, which sounds extremely fat, really makes its presence felt. A howling chorus sees the opening riff reprised, with De Pasquale's voice taking on the edge of a dangerous, injured animal, and the mix of clean guitar melodies and big riffing is an interesting one. Later verses strip the sound back further, and essentially leave McMahon's bass alone with the vocals - with the occasional feedback-enhanced note cutting through. Sun Carver slows the pace down somewhat, and goes for a more typical doom approach with McMahon's bass rumbling through the speakers whilst De Pasquale adds edgy, cracked melodies with his guitar. Slow, off-kilter chugs take over, but the pace is soon upped somewhat once the verse takes over - which is another relatively crunchy one packed with power chords. Despite this, the song is a bit more varied overall, with a chorus that feels more atmospheric thanks to some guitar depth - and a meandering solo section set against some percussive drumming. The song speeds up as it moves along, too, with those NWOBHM vibes shining through later thanks to some faster riffing and a busier guitar solo. Bornless Hollow sounds snappier, with an opening drum groove which is tighter-sounding overall - and a riff which would not have sounded out of place on an Angel Witch album. Again, the band's NWOBHM influence is on display here which allows the song's overall pace to shine. The bass is still prominent, though, driving everything, but the riffing is much sharper here - and, again, there is some busier soloing throughout. The song is a real headbanger, then, although it does get slower as it moves along - but overall the punch remains despite the changes of pace during the lengthy instrumental closing section.

The Serving Ritual is faster, with a punky riff which drives everything - and some Motörhead-esque vibes throughout. The band's bluesiness remains, and De Pasquale sounds nothing like Lemmy, but there is an intensity here which could be compared to Motörhead. The first half of the song in particular is a real hard-driving number, with some ringing hi-hat work and punky bass - but there are also changes of pace. I feel that The Serving Ritual feels faster overall than the previous song, though, despite the similar variation. There is a section in the middle which sees the pace drop off, but it soon returns - and De Pasquale then launches into a screaming guitar solo which is one of the album's speediest moments. There is a real energy created here as a result, and the track is one of the overall highlights for me. The album's title track, which follows, is a slower song overall - and the band return to more of typical doom sound in the vein of Sun Carver here. The lumbering riff certainly has strong stoner qualities throughout, but there are moments of chugging NWOBHM to break up the monotony and stop the song from sounding too bluesy. This is also a song which brings the best out of De Pasquale vocally. I am not 100% sure that I like his voice, but he generally suits the band's sound. He can sound a bit thin sometimes, but his style works really well in between the crawling riffs and organic drum grooves of the title track. He howls through the song with a mixture of venom and pain - and it shines as a result. Upping the pace again, Misery's Horse opens in furious fashion with a throat-grabbing main riff - and it seems as if the track is going to be another faster one. In truth, though, the song is pretty mid-paced overall - albeit with the occasional injection of speed when the main riff re-appears. Despite this, the band's NWOBHM influence shines again here, and it features some of my favourite riffing on the album - with a snaking, melodic chorus riff which often resurfaces to add something different. On the whole, this album is not all that hooky - which makes the melodic riffing here stand out quite a bit. There is also a strange, tortured guitar solo in the song, too, which features one of the album's few moments of genuine layering to stack a few leads and create a discordant sound. The album then comes to a close with Rune of Thorn, another mid-paced track with an overall percussive feel similar to how the album opened with Tyrian Dawn. The drumming is tom-heavy again, but the riffing feels a bit punchier throughout with some strident, classic rock-inspired power chord patterns - whilst the occasional meandering lead section is more typical doom in style. This is particularly the case during the song's main guitar solo - which is likely the album's longest. The pace is slower here, and De Pasquale's solo feels like something straight out of the 1970s - which works perfectly to start to bring the album to close. Rune of Thorn feels that little bit more indulgent overall, which allows it to work well as a closer - and the riffing throughout feels powerful thanks to the raw production. I am always glad to be checking out new music and I have enjoyed my time with The Serpent Tide over the past month or so. The band certainly have a distinctive sound, and the rawness help them to stand out from much of the rest of the doom crowd. The band will never be a true favourite, but there's a lot to like here and I aim to get acquainted with their back catalogue in due course.

The album was released on 16th June 2023 via Rise Above Records. Below is the band's promotional video for The Serpent Tide.