Wytchcraft
I Taste Your Fucking Tears Of Sorrow
6.5
Not to be confused with the multitude of bands not clever enough to switch a Y for an I, and certainly not associated with the mighty Swedish band most deserving of the name, this bunch of Germans produce a style of music that while not wholly enjoyable has many aspects that make it at least endearing. Consider the following only if your taste in music is pervaded by an overwhelming need to wander off the beaten path – we’re talking, way, way, off the path here.
At times comically painful, the vocals are funny on two separate levels. On the one hand if this man is deadly serious the joke is on him as he yodels in a fashion I’m sure in his mind sounded quite resplendent. On the other hand, the joke may be on us as he mocks the overblown reverb soaked bravado of the most aged Epic Doom Metal Prophets ™. This vocal circus is not a constant issue, and in fact, most of the time Mr. Singer is ranting in a gruff fashion in time to the plodding procession of the bass drum; every now and then he even pulls out the full on growl. As already mentioned the clean vocals are the deal breaker, however, Mr. Singer amazes me yet again by staying on key 43% more often during clean parts sung in German. That’s right, only the parts you can understand as an English speaking consumer will make you cringe.
So, past the odd propensity for quizzical vocal choices what remains is really a neat little package of epic doomisms. Slow motion progressions of drawn out over reverbed and phased guitar riffs underscored by a no frills, no gimmicks, dead ahead plodding duo of percussion and bass guitar. Some of the empty spaces are filled out with a synthesized pipe organ placed far too low in the mix. All the dramatic pauses and urgent spoken passages one could want are included to transport the listener to whatever catacomb in England the denizens of this style haunt.
All in all I have two final thoughts: It is not nearly as lame as the title suggests, quite the opposite, it has many unique quirks that spice up a style rehashed one too many times. The style of instrumentation really does make some serious efforts to be progressive within the framework of the niche genre, and while that is not a lot of latitude, the conscious attempt is noticeable. For those of you tethered to tradition, you may find things to like here but Candlemass this is not.
