Witch Mountain-Mobile of Angels

Svart Records
2014

Other then a brief break in the action in 2002 (and the fact that it took 10 years to get from the group's 2001 debut album, "Come To The Mountain", and it's follow-up, 2011's (Metal Mark-reviewed) "South of Salem") Portland's Witch Mountain has maintained it's presence in the doom metal community. Since 2009 the band has been fronted by Uta Plotkin (Aranya, Olympus Mons and Stalking Jane) and on "Mobile of Angels" (the band's fourth full-length album overall) it sounds as if time has done nothing but enhance this Oregon outfit and their post-Sabbath/Pentagram take on the genre! Here on "Mobile of Angels" guitarist/former lead singer Rob Wrong flat-out levels the playing field with his solid 70's hard rock-inspired playing while the rhythm section of Charles Thomas (Blackwitch Pudding) and Nathan Carson (bass and drums respectively) keeps the ship nice and steady with it's put up or shut up presence! As lead singer Uta Plotkin easily enchants with her with her dark persona the rest of Witch Mountain (sounding as rich and rigid as ever while arguably presenting the darkest, must dreary and downright damned release of their long and varied career!) hold all the cards tight in their hands as they deal out track after track of monster-sized dark metal! This 38 minute doom coaster is epic in scope and thanks to the help of producer Billy Anderson Witch Mountain has an album that should stand the test of time and remain more then a little relevant for decades to come!

Witch Mountain-South of Salem

Self -produced
2011

Of course you can't always judge a book or an album by it's cover, but I was interested in this album after just seeing the cover. This is the sophomore album from Portland's Witch Mountain, but it's been ten years since their debut. The band formed back in 1997, but have been on and off again as with activity over the years. I was in love with this album about two minutes into the opener "Wing of the lord". This album is for fans of Sleep, Electric Wizard, Acid King, YOB as well as Hendrix and Black Sabbath. Prepare for plodding doom with some thick barely moving riffs and a thundering rhythm sections. When Ula Plotkin's mesmerizing vocals kick in I was completely riveted. Her style is clean and very much influenced by an early 70's metal approach. At first I thought was very different from what I am used to with this type of music. It is, but after a play or two I found that it not only works, but that it actually sounds quite spectacular.
Music-wise many of the songs drone on with simple yet haunting patterns. They not only use repetition, but rather they manipulate it and pull you into their swirling path of down-tuned destruction. The epic Hare's Stare might be the album's strongest track due to the heavy grooves that are so easy to get into. This isn't a truly original album, but it quickly pulled me in and I look forward to listening to repeatedly over he next few months at least.