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Acid Witch > Witchtanic Hellucinations > Reviews
Acid Witch - Witchtanic Hellucinations

The novelty wears off after a while - 63%

DMhead777, April 18th, 2020
Written based on this version: 2013, 12" vinyl, Hells Headbangers Records (Limited edition, 3 colors)

I had high hopes going into this album. I know there are plenty of fans of Acid Witch and this album is rated pretty highly. Honestly, Acid Witch has always been under my radar. When I found this album in a Disc Replay, I immediately bought it based on the artwork. I am familiar with their album art and it definitely stuck out to me this time. After sitting down and listening to this about 2-3 times, I can honestly say that I don't really get the appeal of their music. I mean, it's a pretty unique album, but to be rated as high as most people gave it is a bit perplexing.

Being a hardcore horror movie fan, a band theme based on witches seems like something I would enjoy. The lyrics and artwork are heavily involved in that fun subject matter. The problem is with the music itself as I think they come across a little too heavy handed. Now, I totally get having a band about witches sound like witches too, but the vocals are pretty wretched on this album. I get that it's supposed to sound the way it does and that's the major appeal of this band for many folks. I just honestly couldn't get into it. I'm trying to enjoy the hilarious lyrics with the music and the vocalist, Lasse Pyykkö (who I love in Hooded Menace btw), just sounds like he is rushing through the songs. There are times where he dials it back, like on the title track or "Cauldron Cave". Those songs are slower and appeal to my love of death doom. The way they emphasize the words "DOOM" is super fun. I don't get that same feeling when Lasse growls longer verses but it all sounds like one word. Their song writing is fun, but the appeal are the memorable lyrics and I can't remember them if he's trying too hard to sound like a witch through it.

Another aspect of this I enjoy are the general instrumentals. I said in another review that I love how raw Acid Witch is. Visiting some of their other albums, I found them never to be over produced. There is this distorted feeling to their instruments that is perfect for this sub-genre. The thing that annoys me is that there isn't much variation in the songs. There are 13 songs on here and most of them have the same riffs. The only way I can differentiate between the songs is the fun use of sampling here and there, like on "Swamp Spells". However, as much as I dig that song, it's way too long and you hear the chorus way too many times. Either songs are too short on this album or too long and I feel like both were done to pad the run time. The problem is that I really love the lyrics on here. As much as I loved the lyrics in "Witches Tits", I found the song too short. The sampling is great on "Swamp Spells", but it repeats itself way too much.

Overall, I mean, it's a decent and unique album. I legitimately felt like I was on an acid trip through a good part of this, but for the majority I was just kind of bored. The lack of variation in the riffs and the terrible over emphasis on sounding like a witch hurts this album more than anything. I did enjoy how under-produced it sounds and the lyrics are pretty hysterical. I just wish there was more of a balance between everything. Granted, it's their first album and I hope when I dig more into their disco they work things out a bit.

Album highlights: "Witchtanic Hellucinations", "Swamp Spells", "Cauldron Cave", and "Witches Tits"

Witchtanic Perfection - 100%

Feast for the Damned, April 21st, 2019

Debut albums are not perfect most of the times. Fuck, some debuts are not even good even though the rest of the band's discography is great. Yet, here we are with Acid Witch's Witchtanic Hellucinations which is not only the best album that the band has ever released, it's also the hands down best death/doom album ever! It's a perfect mix between psychedelic rock and death/doom, but the thing that this album does better than any of its successors, is that they don't abuse synth that much on this album and they rely on the filthy fucking riffs and the brutal growls of Lasse Pyykkö.

But let's slow down a bit. The album came out in the SAME MONTH with Hooded Menace's debut, so you are going to find a lot of things common in both albums regarding Lasse Pyykkö's vocals, but the thing is, that while on Fulfill the Curse you will hear some straight up death/doom, the 80s B movie atmosphere complemented with the stoner metal elements suit his vocals a lot more (it's a shame that he left the band soon after the next EP). The suffocating growls of his are straight up inhumane, the vocalist I can compare him to, is the vocalist of Druid Lord, but even that doesn't give him a justice.

The guitar riffs are top tier, just like most death/doom records, but there is something about them that makes me want to come back for more and more. They are heavy, and when I say "heavy", I mean like really fucking HEAVY thanks to the extra stoner layer and the death metal chugs. On some songs (e.g. Into the Cave; The Black Witch; Witchtanic Hellucinations) you can hear what I mean. The mix between the doom/stoner riffs are extraordinary beyond belief, but the well-placed occasional guitar solos are just something else. They add a whole new layer to the atmosphere rather than taking anything away from it. The thing that shocks me the most is that nobody tries to mimic their sound when it works so well.

It doesn't matter how hard I try to find anything negative about the album, it's just perfect. From the amazing art work through the synth interlude tracks to the instrumentation, everything is just perfect. Sadly the band never managed to top this record and only went "downhill" from this point on (even though every single release of theirs is amazing), but I highly doubt it's even possible to top this. This album proves that Acid Witch belongs to the death/doom pantheon with Asphyx, Cianide; Autopsy and other top tier bands.

Because it lacks filler tracks, the highlight is the entire album.

Halloween metal - 87%

Doominance, November 7th, 2013

I remember the first time I discovered Acid Witch. Their extraordinary artwork and the rather typical stoner doom name intrigued me enough to give them a go. Naturally, I started with their first album Witchtanic Hellucinations. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I heard surprised me, in a good way.

What you'll hear on this album is basically psychedelic stoner/doom metal with death metal vocals. The slow and heavy NWOBHM-inspired guitar riffs are quite simple, but catchy, and are supported by tight drumwork, a thick and solid bassline and a trippy, and quite cheesy, keyboard throughout the album.

There is a presence of humorous malice in this dark, but very impressive atmosphere, as if lead by Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight, and speaking of the atmosphere, it's a perfect album to blast on Halloween thanks to the cool, creepy and psychedelic guitar effects, the trippy and cleverly utilized keyboard, and of course the whole bubbling potions and cauldrons thing, all of which gives this album a very cartoonish horror/halloween feel.

Witchtanic Hellucinations is a very easy and fun listen, since the songs aren't that long. While most of the songs are catchy and very enjoyable, there are some fillers in between that aren't as memorable, but they aren't bad, just not as good as Swamp Spells, The Black Witch and October 31st, for instance.

If you're into this music genre, I think you'd love Acid Witch's Witchtanic Hellucinations. In fact, even if you aren't into this type of music, I think this is worth your time, because of the fantastic atmosphere!

A trip down doom road - 88%

GodLovesAcid, November 4th, 2013

Prepare yourself for a psychedelic trip of doom, which holds its own special hint off horror and cheesiness. This is one trip you don’t want to be left out of.

The first thing I ever noticed about Acid Witch was the guitar work. Although the riffs were very simplistic and slow, the drop b tuned guitars gave off the dark and foreboding atmosphere of which Acid Witch are very well known for. The vocals, really helped give the songs a much darker atmosphere, with the deep, throaty growls, even though very much unchanging throughout the entire album. Acid Witch take many of the components out of doom/stoner metal, with the down tuned guitars, simple riffs, heavy fuzz, snarled vocals, and bong rips mixed in with the horror/tripped out keyboard and story boarded lyrics to take stoner metal to an all new level of heaviness.

Acid Witch’s album artwork looks as though you’ve been slipped a hit of LSD, and the witch is coming, with her bubbling cauldron of doom and demise. The album cover fits perfectly with the style of music they are playing in, with dark, yet vibrant colours. This album could draw the attention of any typical psychedelic art lover, with its trippy atmosphere. Several of the songs possess a certain level of cheesiness, such as “Witches Tits”, and “Rabid Werewitch”.

Overall, this band is one to be checked out, with its tripped out guitars, drop b tunings, growled vocals and interesting album cover, it is one not to be missed.

-GodLovesAcid

A Reeking Deathtrip... - 87%

FoulIncantation, October 28th, 2011

If you don't know who Acid Witch are, I wouldn't be surprised. The band have maintained a pretty underground status but seem to be getting bigger and more noticed as a majority of bands who continue in the underground do overtime. They blend a pretty interesting concoction of psychedelic doom/death metal, hail from Michigan, America, and have been since 2007. Witchtanic Hellucinations is the band's debut album that was released in 2008 on well-respected underground U.S. label Razorback Records.

On the band's Myspace it says that:

"Witchtanic Hellucinations" is 13 terrible tales of dark and heavy as f--k DOOM METAL brewing from the unspeakable hag's psychedelic cauldron of death! A true melting pot of twisted Death Metal riffs swarming with tripped out leads, demonic-death growls from hell, and a cackling corpse-full of catchy song writing that will warp your mind until you pass out from the fumes of cursed Witch-smoke! Behold the swamp spells and the cult of bloodthirsty Witchwolves as they devour your soul! The ACID WITCH is born...let the Death-Trip begin!"

I think there pretty accurate on that one. This is some really heavy stuff. The guitars have a really nice fuzzy sound to them that's psychedelic and, most of all, very heavy. I think the guitars really make this album along with the psychedelic leads because it's just really nice chugging goodness. Its a slow, doomy/trippy psychedelic chaos death trip, I tell ya.

There's really no fast bits on the album, just slow chugging to medium speed doom metal. Occasionally the drums have fast double bass bits that go along well with the chugging guitars, but it's mostly a slow to moderate tempo in the traditional style of doom, yet very heavy at the same time while maintaining their own style. The drums are really quite simplistic and mostly play slow doom metal beats that have been done before, you know, so nothing's really new in the drum department here unfortunately, but they fit very well with the overall record and I don't think there would be any need to try and make them flashy/fast or whatnot. There's really still not much known about "Acid Witch", so I can't really tell you much, but to check this out if you ever wondered what Black Sabbath would sound like if they were death metal and smoked a lot of weed while watching horror movies all the time.

The vocals on this record are just mostly death grows with some high shrieked screams here and there, but the majority is mostly some really low, sickening, almost guttural like vocals. I believe the vocals on this record were Lasse Pyykkö of Hooded Menace, so if you're familiar with Hooded Menace already, then you know what the vocals are gonna be like on this record: very low, guttural, and almost zombie-like. So overall, if you don't like growling or vocals not in the traditional style of doom with clean/singing vocals, I think you might dislike this part of the record, but if you give this a chance I think there might be a chance of finding something you might really like about this record, like with the guitars or drums. The only flaw with the vocals I find are that sometimes they can make a high hissing sound that I'm not sure was intentional or whatever, but they can really cut through the mix sometimes and go through your ears. This is more noticeable especially when listening to this record at high volumes (the only way), but other than that they are pretty awesome. The lyrics pretty much talk of witches, cult, spells, magic, and everything around that nature, but also have a quite tongue-in-cheek humor merged with it. I mean, "Witches Tits"...come on, you know you want to! :-].

Overall, the production is quite clean. While still being raw, natural, and bass-heavy, it maintains a nice enough production to not be discouraged away from. I find that Acid Witch are a great band/addition for any lovers of doom/death metal to check out. I don't think the band really had any intention of reinventing the wheel so to say, but if in particular you've always wondered what death metal would sound like with really psychedelically tripped out leads, this is the record for you. Really brilliant stuff. Listen at your own risk.

I recommend you check out this release in particular if you like bands like Witchfinder General, Fleshpress, Winter, and Autopsy.


Written By FoulIncantation-
(Originally written for Ultimate Guitar.com, with minor/major changes added to it!)
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/acid_witch/witchtanic_hellucinations/index.html

This is worth your time. Unforgettable Experience. - 90%

Vehement_Drums, June 21st, 2011

This is a fantastic, refreshing doom (although the genre is very hard to define) album with a unique atmosphere. I'm personally not even a huge fan of horror movies or anything, but the evil, trippy sound that is emitted from your speakers after turning this album on is about the coolest thing you will ever hear. First of all, the riffing overall is NOT very original or creative. It is very basic and not technical at all. This is one of those albums where the production is more addictive than the actual music. What is interesting, however, is that the style of guitar played is often very NWOBHM. It is a mix of that heavy metal style with many other doom and stoner influences, down tuned to C or B (can't remember). Some times, the music will sound kind of happy in a strange way. So overall, this mix of NWOBHM and crushing doom metal makes it fairly unique.

Now for probably the best part of the album, the lyrics, horror themes, that AWESOME cover artwork (which really needs to be made into a poster which I would instantly buy), and the cheesy, but very fitting keyboard/organ sections. There is really just nothing to hate about this album. Yes, Razorback Records signs a lot of bands like this, and horror influenced metal is nothing new at all. But nobody has ever done it like this. The album starts with a creepy keyboard section before the listener is thrown into the cauldron. There are a couple more similar interludes later in the album, and you get some cool horror sound effects on some songs. None of them are too long or tedious at all, unlike some other crappy bands that use quotes for the first 2 minutes of every song. One of my favorites, "Beastly Brew," starts with a little guitar interlude, and turns into quite possibly the greatest sounding track on here, layering all sorts of terrifying, trippy guitar effects and noises together to create one hell of a creepy experience!

As far as production values go, the guitar is a super fuzzy, downtuned, distorted mess of awesomeness. There are very strong stoner influences in the lead guitar work, using that "trippy" guitar pedal effect (I forget the name). The drums are nothing too important or special, but this is not an album to showcase drum skills, really. Basic patterns get the job done well. There are no fast tempo riffs/d-beats/blast beats in WH. This is slower stuff for the most part. The vocals can unfortunately make or break the album for some close-minded listeners, mostly newer fans of metal who aren't used to very deep death grunts. An extremely deep Demilich-like belch is used extensively throughout the record. It is very fitting to the music, however, and I wouldn't prefer it any other way than this. It's unfortunate this vocalist has left Acid Witch now. I will also add that the overall production has that "recorded in a cave" sound to it, and this is what makes it so damn creepy sounding. It is a clear sound though, and not too over-produced.

Almost all of the songs are great, there may be a couple that bore you a bit though. There will be a couple of times when you think "didn't I hear that riff already"? But it doesn't happen very often. But like I said, this is an album that is enjoyable because of its atmosphere much more than its musical composition. This is totally the kind of album you just want to get high to and chill to late at night. It sounds particularly amazing around Halloween time, of course. Put it on to a cold Autumn breeze on an October night and it's one of the coolest feelings ever. If you ever bother with this band, which you SHOULD, then get this album. The following LP, Stoned, is not anywhere near as good as this one, trust me. The difference between this and Stoned is that this one sounds inhuman, evil, and unique, and Stoned sounds much more human, like a couple of dudes jamming. Also, the songs in Stoned are very forgettable except for a few. Actutally, Stoned is not horrible or anything, it just pales in comparison to this one. The riffs on Witchtanic Hellucinations are VERY memorable though. Seriously, there are some riffs that have been stuck in my head since the day I got this. Anyway, this is all you really need from Acid Witch in my opinion. Buy it, play it every October, and enjoy the Witches Tits!

I give it a 90. There could be some slight improvement to make a couple of the songs more interesting, but it's still an experience like nothing else! Don't let the doom metal elitists talk you out of this, my friends. It's at least fairly unique, and worth your time!

A- - 93%

Lyrici17, April 8th, 2010

Acid Witch’s MySpace page claims they sound like: “Weve done to many drugs, and watched WAY to many horror movies…”. Of course, this is the band’s claim, as it is their page. However, I think this is a pretty fair way to describe what they sound like. Acid Witch is a mish-mash of Stoner, Doom, Sludge, and Death(?). This is punctuated by the logo and cover artwork, as they both coincide perfectly with this genre explanation. The cover artwork in particular is probably one of my favorites of all-time - good shit. The three members here are Lasse Pyykkö, Shagrat, and “Slasher” Dave, or as they are labeled in the liner notes “L S D” (this might be intentional). What they give us is a very enjoyable and a completely awesome album in “Witchtanic Hellucinations”.

The first track, “Intro”, gives us a pretty good idea of what’s to come. It starts out with a lone organ section. At 0:33, we get a bass guitar note, and some spoken word (this is done in a witch voice - or at least what is supposed to be a witch voice; this voice is done well, and completely sets up the album perfectly). The spoken word section is as follows: “Step this way, lovers of the loathsome, as I lead you into my cave of lurking shadows, and demonic dabblings. Gather around the cauldron, while I boil up a beastly brew, I call, Witchtanic Hellucinations” Then we get some guitar (with some nice wailing leads), as the voice cackles, and the kick drum thunders. Does that sound like fun? I hope you said yes, because yes, is the right answer.

The guitars are doing all sorts of things on this album. Almost every single one of them is wonderful. We get lots of [pedal] effects, my favorite probably being the effect used throughout “Witches Tits” (though the wah-Wah used throughout “The Black Witch” is also very enjoyable). We get chugging, sludgy [stoner] riffs. We get leads and solos and wail and sail into the universe that is your brain (a few with a psychedelic edge to them). We get tons of trilling (within solos and outside of them as well), which was fun and I loved. I feel a great way to showcase some strong sections, is to just list them like so:

My favorite chug-chug riffing:
0:16-0:47 in “Witchtanic Hellucinations”
3:14-3:28 in “Witchtanic Hellucinations”
1:55-2:26 in “Cauldron Cave”

My favorite stoner riffing:
Main riff in “Into the Cave”
1:23-1:54 in “Cauldron Cave”
(interestingly - or not so much - both “cave” titled songs)

My favorite leads:
1:57-2:23 in “Witchblood Cult”
0:03-0:17/0:56-1:11 in “Witches Tits”
0:16-0:33/3:37-3:56 in “Broomstick Bitch”

My favorite solos:
2:52-3:09 in “Into the Cave”
0:32-0:48 in “Witchblood Cult”
2:24-2:40 in “Witchblood Cult”
0:53-1:16 in “The Black Witch”
2:29-2:51 in “The Black Witch”
1:57-2:15 in “Witchtanic Hellucinations”
2:35-2:52 in “Cauldron Cave”
2:27-2:35 in “Rabid Werewitch”
1:10-1:27 in “October 31st”

Needless to say Acid Witch have some very pleasing guitar work in my opinion, and I think that sentiment might be the same for you too; I hope so at least. I think a big part of this is the guitar tones. Both the sludgy rhythms and wailing lead guitars sound pretty perfect tonally (particularly the leads).

The vocals are another strong point. They have a presence, and sound like a low bubbling burble-gargle. A similar sound-alike is Hooded Menace (for the vocals) (and for the general riffing too, actually). Not coincidentally, Hooded Menace and Acid Witch share Lasse Pyykkö on vocals - this most likely explains why the vocals sound similar (though I’ve heard that Slasher Dave and Shagrat will be taking over on vocal duties, and Lasse is going to play drums).

Aside: the peanut butter sandwich I just made is delicious. Yum.

Another asset to the album is the use of organ. A lot of the time it is used as an intro piece (“Cauldron Cave” being my favorite), but in turns up from time to time to really enhance and compliment the album’s sound (“Realm of the Wicked” being played solely by the organ). The drums and bass are, unfortunately, just not a major part of this album for me. I never feel like the bass or drums are holding the album back in any way, but I rarely ever notice them either. To be honest, they just play their part and that’s that (which is fine).

Composition/Album flow-wise, Acid Witch do a pretty good job of keeping the listener on their toes. A few times the band throws in some curve ball tracks to really shake things up. I found these songs to be very successful. “Beastly Brew” starts out almost black metal sounding (a maybe near-Drudkh-ish kind of sound). However, around the 1:00 mark, the guitars get very trippy and the mood of the song changes completely. This song keeps within the aesthetic and genre sound, while still being completely different and momentum shifting. Sometimes a slower song placed right between faster songs can totally kill an albums flow. Here, “Beastly Brew” only works to create a great transition from “Witchtanic Hellucinations” to “Cauldron Cave”. Like I mentioned earlier, “Realm of the Wicked” is completely played by the organ; it sounds ominous and creepy, and really just fit’s the album’s overall sound so well. Both songs are just over two minutes in length too, just long enough to be awesome, and just short enough to move back into the chugging, wailing, burping doom seamlessly.

The overall aesthetic here is very pleasing. The thought of witches brewing potions, casting spells, and doing other witch-like things is a very complimentary - so much so that you actually believe the songs sound like the aesthetic. The song titles reek of witches and the like - with five of the thirteen tracks actually containing the word “witch”. Andrew W.K. had partying, Acid Witch has witches. The album also shows off some fun sound effects. My favorites being: the intro to “Swamp Spell”, with it’s bubbling (from a Cauldron perhaps?), and the intro to “Rabid Werewitch”, which sounds like the night, followed by footsteps on gravel, a wolf howling, and a scream. The exceptionally strong cover artwork (done by Acid Witch member, Shagrat), that I touched on earlier, is another great factor of the witch aesthetic.

All in all, fun music and a fun aesthetic translate into a very very fun album. I really wish “Witch House” (their two track EP released last year) wasn’t s vinyl only, as I am sure it really strong as well. I’m really excited to see what Acid Witch has in store for us.

Hmmmm… I’m hungry.

Psychedelic death sludge - 70%

autothrall, October 31st, 2009

I was captured at first by the very colorful and cheesy cover art for this, and then realized it was on Razorback Records. Thus, my excitement grew in bounds, and ultimately I was not disappointed by the trio's brand of psychedelically imbued sludgy death/doom metal. Through the years, though, it seems like the album has been somewhat forgotten, perhaps because other bands have come along with similar trippy, tongue in cheek horror imagery, perhaps also because the morbid Michigan outfit has one upped itself. Now, with a reissue through Hell's Headbangers (who also released their latest, best full-length Stoned), those not in the know can experience the bludgeoning firsthand.

Acid Witch rocks, it's simple. They evoke colorful, humorous kitsch and imagery for this brand of doom in tracks like "Swamp Spells" and "Rabid Werewitch". The tunes have all the fuzz and groove you'd want from the sludge sect, but the dark brutal vocals of old school death and doom, as well as some ingrained, ambient atmospheres with guitars and samples, as on the intro to "Cauldron Cave". They don't shy away from the retro flavored lead work, and many of the trippy effects on the melodies often feel as if the guitars themselves are soaking up bong hits. But perhaps most importantly, they evoke fucking DOOM. It only takes a few chords, bends and slides in the right place and Acid Witch have managed to convert something so tongue in cheek into some real doom, at times reminding me of the local heroes Grief if they were dressed up as haunted house ushers. That this is all captured alongside song titles like "Broomstick Bitch" and "Witches Tits" is baffling but welcome.

Granted, there are a few riffing spells here which are admittedly dry and predictable, so Acid Witch is forced to leave a lot of the atmosphere up to the imagination of the listener, and you get enough variation between the sluggish, graveyard emanations and the uptempo outbursts. Most of all, lovers of ridiculous cult horror films, Hammer studios and so forth will admire the incorporation of organs and other schlock into the banging mix of balls out rock riffs and guttural frog inflection. I swear, the vocalist of this band was actually, at some point, the victim of some stereotypical witch transformation into an amphibian. Though it's only a few years old now, this was a pretty original band. If you're a fan of psychedelic crushers like Bongripper, or the horror lusting Razorback roster of Ghoul, Lord Gore, Crypticus, Frightmare, Blood Freak, etc you may want to check this out. If you're just into death and doom with a tinge of atmosphere and sludge, you DEFINITELY want it. One of the better bands of this style, along with Hooded Menace.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

a piss-poor attempt at classic doom - 45%

stonetotem, August 14th, 2009

Acid Witch are a modern doom metal group with members hailing from Finland and the US. The general idea of the band is to bring back simplistic death/doom with classic doom touches. They also attempt to resurrect the horror/occult based themes of bands past, which in their case takes the form of cartoon witches, goofy humour and the kind of B-movie aesthetic one should expect from a band affiliated with the goofballs at Razorback Records. As ambitious as an attempted revival of gritty, filthy old school death/doom may be, the poor fellas in Acid Witch miss their mark completely on "Witchtanic Hellucinations" (the album title, cover and track titles should give fair warning as to how bad it is). They produce some wretchedly cheesy, weak, juvenile crap that's better suited for "horror metal" kiddies who dig stuff like Frightmare and Blood Freak than fans of the death/doom of olde.

The production here is thin, weak, and overly digital, sounding like it was recorded on some guy's computer. This results in the music having little to no thickness or fullness, and none of the mucky and murky filth they seem to promise with imagery of caves and dank, disgusting places inhabited by fat ugly witches. Instead we get a weak guitar tone with riffs that sound more like a teenage kid fucking around with power chords and palm mutes than thought out songs. What we need here is filthy, pounding, bone chilling, blood-curdling insanity and they give us something that sounds like it's out of a high school talent show. The bass is equally unimpressive, adding little to nothing to the heaviness of the rhythm, barely diverging from the guitar riffs (which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't suck) and never bringing anything remotely interesting to the table. The drums don't particularly shine either, adding to the annoyance and mediocrity of the sound. The vocals are yet another letdown, essentially consisting of guttural burps and weak attempted growls (where there should be puke drenched screams and sickening rasps). The delay and reverb on the vocals, while a good idea is just another attempt to create an atmosphere they're incapable of creating. Admittedly at a few points on the album they briefly hit their stride with a thick chord ringing out, but it's quickly stifled by piss-poor songwriting and dinky moronic riffs that follow. I also salute their attempt at infusing occult-themed Italian prog-like synths and classic doom metal type riffs into their sound, but this also falls flat and really fails to provide any atmosphere to this rinky dink internet band.

Acid Witch at first seemed to have the potential to be a good or at least amusing band, but one shouldn't go to the assorted dingbats at Razorback Records for their doom metal. They sound like little more than a bedroom project slapped together by poor, immature musicians that set the bar much much higher than they could ever attain. Fans of the assorted modern "horror metal" bands out there will at least have a chuckle at these guys, as they're so gimmicky and weak they shouldn't attract much in the way of fans. Everyone else should recognize them for the piss-poor musicians they are, and doom metal fans should likely be insulted at their childish tomfoolery. Death/doom is best left in the past. Attempts at revivals of classic genres are most often disastrous, and when you get two wingnuts in Halloween masks trying it you know it's gonna suck. Keep away from this steaming turd if you know what's good for ya.

Bubbling Cauldron of Doom - 95%

HackAndSlash, December 19th, 2008

First of all, I tip my hat to Razorback Records for signing such a talented band. Acid Witch just has that "Razorback" sound, and if you like Blood Freak and Lord Gore, you know what I mean. This is an essential release for any Doom/Death lover. I mean really people, go out and buy this album.

Alright now, let's get down to the actual review. The song lengths are serviceable, but not too long. I mean, I enjoy a lengthy song, but sometimes it's ridiculous. I find that songs should be like a woman's skirt; long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep interest. The album starts with an intro which immediately sets the mood of the album. The witch's monologue sums up everything the album is going to be about: "Step this way, lovers of the loathsome, As I lead you into my cave of lurking shadows, And demonic deadly's, Gather around the cauldron, while I boil up a beastly brew, I call Witchtanic Hellucinations!!!"

Into the Cave starts the album off with sludgy-doom riffing with echoing growls by Lasse. This is an example of the heavy doom you're going to hear for the rest of the album. However, doom is not the only take on the album as I soon found out. Into the Cave finishes with a classic Razorback solo. The kind of solo that is so short and so perfectly placed that you need more.

Swamp Spells starts off with bubbling noises straight from the witch's brew. This track is a bit faster than the previous, and the vocals are more prevalent. The guitar work is simply amazing on this one. It is not mindblowingly fast by any means, but it is so perfectly orchestrated and sets a melancholy mood. The track picks up again and eventually finishes with another great solo.

By no means should you skip any tracks in listening, but i'm going to do so out of the need to finish this review. The Black Witch is my favorite track on the album. I absolutely love the shift in tempo and the perfectly placed guitar distortion. That's what I love about Razorback - they understand the importance of good soloing with higher a range of distortion.

The title track is also excellent. The mid portion of the song reminds me of old B-movies. Something out of a scene in a church where the organ is playing. Well, something like that. HEAR IT FOR YOURSELF!!

Overall, this is a remarkable album which deserves at least one listen. It chugs along with that Razorback sound, and has a few memorable samples as well. Bottom line is if you like ANYTHING on Razorback, then get this album. If you like ANY doom, get this album. If you enjoy having testicles, get this album.

The future of horror metal - 95%

shagnarokvonlustmord, November 25th, 2008

Witchtanic Hellucinations is destined to be a classic of the horror music genre. Psychedelic, It is what Black Sabbath or Deep Purple would have made had they discovered brutality before its time. Upon first listen it sounded like it could have been released in the late 80's early 90's. It had that Autopsy and early Impetigo feel to it. Still though that only adds to the murkiness and dark matter that surrounds this opus. Acid Witch are one of the latest bands to sign to Razorback, an original and outstanding record company that has been releasing old school thrash, doom, death, gore and grind to the extreme loving universe for years.

This is Acid Witch's debut album which is a conceptual album based around witches, the macabre and deadly ritual spells. Musically speaking it's pretty damn refreshing. The bass shines through on most tracks which adds a really thick and heavy layer to the high pitched guitars which keeps an equal slow chugging with the drums. Lasse's vocals are gutteral and are what I come to expect for slow paced doom/death.

In the song The Black Witch there is a really cool wa- wa effect that repeats itself a few times, it also emerges again in Swamp Spells for a short while before a witches cackle could be heard and then again till the song ends. An eerie sounding organ on the title track that has that Doors and Iron Butterfly feel, is sort of cheesy but does add to the many textures of the song. Acid Witch is all about experimenting with odd sounds, unorthodox beats and sound imagery that makes Witchtanic Hellucinations the best thing in a long time to emerge from the horror hives.

Acid Witch is, in my opinion, the future of horror metal and Lasse, Shagrat, and Dave (LSD) I hope will continue to make scary music together.

This is definitely for fans of Autopsy, Necrophagia, old Mortician, Repulsion and Impetigo.