Iron Witch + “Single Malt”
Liquored-up and drop-tuned, Iron Witch deliver the sort of overproof Sludgecore that on the surface, is reminiscent of Electric Wizard and Eyehategod. Hailing from Liverpool, UK, you could say that the band have “jumped the pond and landed in the bayou”, but that wouldn’t tell the whole story. As the band themselves point out, Black Flag is another strong influence – one that is easily identified and blends quite well with the others.
The boys shoot first and ask questions later with “A .45 To Pay The Rent”. There’s plenty of stomp and swagger before things grind down to half-time as it gets closer to the finish line. One hell of an opening shot!
The title track, “Single Malt”, leads in with a dose guitar feedback and a before getting down to business, delivering a succession of swampy, Sabbath inspired riffs. Midway through, there’s a Sludged-out breakdown that winds down and bleeds it’s way through another double shot of feedback into “Booze Blues”. Instead of tearing off with reckless abandon, however, the bass slowly joins in and slows the pace down like a crawl through the swamp.
“Jailhouse” stays within the band’s strong suit: The boys step up with a strong, bluesy riff and make good use their Hardcore roots to fuel it further before bringing things back down into to the sort of fuzzed-out drawl that they do so well.
There’s one final siren song of feedback before “The Cruelty of Mankind” brings the hammer down hard, along with the tempo. The boys whip it up once again mid-way through, but the swelling sonic tides carry it off past the horizon.
While Iron Witch may not score high in originality, they make up for it in listenability. Personally, I find the strong points are in the vocals which exhibit good overall quality and intensity. As indicated through the thematic use of guitar feedback throughout the recording, there is a “live” feel in the way that “Single Malt” was recorded; With the majority of the songs being stitched together with high-volume guitar feedback, it’s a simple but effective way of giving the album a certain ambiance and makes for a cohesive listening experience.
Recorded with John Stephens at Chuckalumba, this EP comes in a 4-panel gatefold sleeve, and is limited to 150 copies. It will also be available as a pay-what-you-want download from http://ironwitch.bandcamp.com
Iron Witch Bandcamp: http://ironwitch.bandcamp.com
Iron Witch on MySpace: www.myspace.com/ironwitch1977
Witch Hunter Records: www.witchhunterrecords.com
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