Shitty name, non-shitty music. Such is the case with many a band, not surprisingly. Witchsorrow falls into this category. This had to be pointed out for those who may dismiss them based on their moniker alone, because to shun Witchsorrow for that reason would be a shame as they churn out some pretty authentic (albeit unoriginal) doom tunes.
Yep, with God Curse Us we’re gazing at an album’s worth of solid, proper doom: slow as shit, downtuned ‘n distorted, draped with a menacing aura of evil and reeking of stale b0ng water and old beer. Lots of times Witchsorrow emulate Cathedral, with the vocals (by a nice young fellow named Necroskull) nearly as dragging and gravelly as Lee Dorrian’s. Nearly. Black Sabbath comes to mind as well, of course, as do a slew of other doom troupes. So the young’uns in Witchsorrow have obviously studied well at the black altar of bloodletting and goat-worship. A course they evidently haven’t taken yet, though, is Paying Tribute to Musical Idols while Maintaining Originality.
Of course doom is not exactly the most innovative genre in metal, with plenty of groups trudging merrily through their familiar boggy territory in the same fashion for years on end. And that’s fine — no one commanded Witchsorrow to reinvent the wheel, or expected it. But a little imagination would have gone a long way here, and the tracks of God Curse Us may leave listeners with an unsatisfying case of deja vu. There is only so much borrowing one can do before it becomes more than borrowing.
Are there cool moments to be heard on this album? Why, yes, there are (though the repetition of the phrase “God curse us, everyone” in the title track is not included in them — I imagine Jimmy Stewart giving Mr. Necroskull a putrid stink-eye from the grave every time it comes out of the speaker). “Aurora Atra” and “Breaking the Lore” feature some solid sections of traditional doom riffing, and middle track “Ab Antiquo” is a creepy lead-in to the at times hymn-like “Megiddo.” So no, by no means is God Curse Us a bad record, it’s just a bit uninspired. Perhaps with time and experience this will change for Witchsorrow.
(6/10 Jodi Michael)
24/05/2012 at 6:02 pm
Awaiting my copy from Play.com with relish. This is a band that produces the goods live, in spades! At their support slot for Electric Wizard not long ago, their bass line was so heavy it had my shorts flapping in the breeze; not a euphemism, just a fact.