ALBUM REVIEW: ATW – All Them Witches

Since the release of their debut in 2012 titled Our Mother Electricity, Nashville, Tennessee desert blues rockers ALL THEM WITCHES have taken the underground hard rock scene by storm, already solidifying themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Having been constantly touring all over the world, playing big stages at festivals, constantly dropping digital EPs & live albums and releasing a new album almost every year since, ALL THEM WITCHES have put in a lot of work and their fifth album, simply titled ATW, is clear evidence of this.

Listening to this band’s back catalogue of albums shows they’re an extremely eclectic group and no two of their previous albums are alike in terms of a defined, definite sound or genre. Despite this however, the band has a very blatant blues influence, along with more gritty tones that would feel at home in any desert rock record, crafted by the energetic drumming of Robby Staebler, the fuzzy, bluesy riffs by Ben Mcleod, and the rolling bass lines and smooth vocals of Charles Michael Parks, Jr.

The album jumps straight into a no messing about, hard rock offering in Fishbelly 86 Onions. From the get go the listener can distinguish that, once again, ALL THEM WITCHES have mixed things up giving a much more electric, fast paced sound, more similar to the sound of their earlier work than their more recent efforts. The second track brings the listener back down to a slower, more rhythmic track Workhorse boasting a drawn out, relaxed riff which is reminiscent of the opening track of their previous record Sleeping Through the War. That’s not to say it sounds identical by any means, there is a direction ATW is taking and this is no different in this calmer, more drawn out track.

As the album plays through, ATW swaps and switches styles on numerous occasions, with each track being different from the last. The third track 1st vs. 2nd could very easily be a fan favourite. This is six minutes of catchy, heavy blues riffs that the band’s long time listeners have come to love and expect but with a few twists. Although Fishbelly 86 Onions, which was the first public track released from the record, is also a strong contender, whilst listening to the album all the way through, many people will surely see this as the stand out track. 1st vs. 2nd is the first indication that there is a more experimental approach to ALL THEM WITCHES‘ ever changing style, followed up by tracks Half Tongue and Diamond, the listener at this point may well feel they are getting into the swing of listening to a raw, blues influenced desert rock record, this is until the sixth track, Harvest Feast; it is at this point in the record where they decide to throw the listener a curve ball.

In what may be the one that excites some listeners the most, Harvest Feast is eleven glorious minutes of ALL THEM WITCHES blending styles of blues, psych & desert rock. This track really does showcase what everyone loves so much about the band, as in this eleven minutes they show off exactly why they’re one of the most exciting bands on the hard rock scene right now, demonstrating a band that are at the peak of their game and showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The album comes to a close with Rob’s Dream, which starts off slowly with more psychedelic influence and picking up speed throughout. This serves as a great end to ATW as it does exactly what the record has whipped up from the start; a genre bending journey whereby you wonder what to expect next.

ATW should not disappoint any ALL THEM WITCHES fans. The record really is a showcase of what this band are capable of and definitely succeeds in portraying why they are so exciting right now and why they’re gaining so much well deserved attention. Managing to blend unique styles of several different genres and carrying on the tradition of never repeated old ideas, ATW could definitely be considered as their strongest effort yet and will surely, if anything, get listeners excited for what the future holds.

Rating: 8/10

ATW is out now via New West Records. 

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