ALBUM REVIEW: Apotheosis – Temple Of The Fuzz Witch
Once the centre of the American automotive industry, the city of Detroit was a powerhouse of industry. While the automotive industry has declined, heavy music is still alive and in rude health. Emerging from its shadowy underground, fuelled by esoteric magic and the power of the riff, TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH look for new disciples and willing sacrifices to join their cult in worship in the crypts of Detroit. Inspired by the biting Michigan winters and the murkier sides of the city, the blackened doom trio have taken a new direction on their third album Apotheosis. Everything is bigger, heavier and darker than anything the band has put out before, however it still retains their signature catchy riffs – they just come with more bite.
The first thing that comes to your attention when Apotheosis is the crushing, newly-introduced element of blackened doom that comes barrelling into your skull. Not wanting to write another straightforward doom record, TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH have shaken things up a bit. Introducing the blackened elements to their sound has transitioned the band from fuzzed-out occult doom to visceral, imposing and formidable, esoteric sludge menaces. While the catchy psychedelic riffs are still in there, they usually come when a groove breaks out after a thunderous barrage of riffing.
Apotheosis in its essence is more overt and less cryptic in its nature, unlike previous releases. Lyrically the album is rooted in the spiritual and esoteric, whilst taking an introspective approach. This theme is demonstrated throughout the album with Noah Bruner’s (vocals) awe-inspiring balance between demon-summoning growls and haunting, grungy clean vocals. It feels like there is a spiritual battle transcending the album, where the lines are blurred, you can’t make out what’s real and what’s in your head. This comes with an inherent darkness that gives the album a rawness that hasn’t been seen in the band’s previous doom records Red Tide (2020) and their self-titled debut (2019).
With TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH moving away from the heavier psychedelic elements of their sound but retaining the bluesy grooves, their new sound does stand out compared to contemporary blackened doom bands such as BLACKSTAFF and PRIMITIVE MAN as the majority tend to focus on the nihilistic coldness of black metal, whereas TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH lean more into doom and make the black metal elements more groove-laden and trippy. This is accentuated with Bruner’s aforementioned mix of growls and clean vocals, and it makes blackened doom more dynamic and interesting, so the Detroit trio could be on to something.
The album opens up with A Call To Prey, its fuzzy bass intro and slow drum beat luring you into a false sense of security before the band let rip into a barrage of dark, sludgy, groovy riffing and Bruner unleashes his demonic harsh vocals. Wight is where things get darker and those blackened elements start to come to the fore. Dissonant chords and tremolo leads make you feel like you’ve stumbled into a DARKTHRONE record. Nephilim is a slightly psychedelic track that incorporates the band’s traditional catchy riffs with the dissonance of black metal, making it this eerily trippy track that makes you feel like you’re chilling with the demons before culminating in absolute chaos towards the end of the track. Bow Down is a more traditional TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH track – bluesy, groovy and deliciously occult with soaring vocal melodies.
Sanguine opens up the second half of the album with an eerie, cold black metal vibe, but utilises the heavy, groove-laden doom riffs to create a hypnotic and foreboding atmosphere. Cursed has a grunge feel to it. The vocal melodies sound similar to those in SUPERHEAVEN songs just with a swaggering, bluesy groove behind it. It’s arguably the most thought-provoking track on the album with an acoustic-ish section towards the end. Raze follows a similar formula to Cursed and has a classic TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH tone, trippy with catchy vocal melodies. Apostate brings back the black metal elements and is a sludgy beast of a song, gearing you up for the album’s closer Ashes. The latter closes the album with a devastating fury, capturing the band’s raw energy and signifying that this is certainly the start of a new era for the Detroit trio. Dark, evil and heavy, Ashes is a tumultuous track that unleashes a primal beast within you.
Apotheosis is TEMPLE OF THE FUZZ WITCH taking a risk to keep things fresh – does it pay off? It most certainly does; crushingly brutal and intense, this is a carefully considered move in a new direction and is sure to enthral fans both old and new.
Rating: 8/10
Apotheosis is set for release on April 5th via Ripple Music.
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