Witches of Doom – Obey (2014)

Extreme catchiness arrives today under the name of Witches of Doom and their debut release “Obey”. Expertly mixing Doom/Sludge elements with Gothic Rock and infusing them with an extra dosage of grooviness, this Italian band delivers nine superb tracks that are extremely melodic and totally awesome.

The album opens with the Southern/Twangy “The Betrayal”, a song that instantly showcases the band’s talented singer Fed Venditti. With a very deep alternative rock/gothic vocals, this is the signature element that bands need these days to stand out from the pack. As the band goes through tracks like “Witches of Doom”, “Needless Needle” and “To The Bone”, we notice influences of bands like H.I.M, Lacrimas Profundere, and other Gothic Metal/Rock bands, but with a slight Sludgy twist.

With the very dark and mellow “Crown of Thorns”, we get a Mystons-like vibe, perfectly showcasing the band’s keyboardist’s skills as well. There are some eerie moments in this track we hear some Axel Rose sounding moments. The Southern flair is back in one of our favorites, the heavy and fuzzy “Rotten to the Core”. Perfectly blending Gothic melancholy with incisive riffing and dramatic keyboards, “It’s My Heart (Where I Feel Cold)” is definitely our favorite track in this release.

As the album draws to a close with “Obey” and its weirdness, we are left very impressed by Witches of Doom and their catchy, twangy, sludgy Gothic Metal. If you think you have heard all the variants of Gothic Metal/Rock under the sun, be prepared to be surprised by this release. This release is totally recommendable for fans of bands like H.I.M all the way to acts like The New Black / Chrome Division.

Label: Sliptrick Records

Release: April 2014

Genre: Gothic Rock/ Sludge / Doom

Country: Italy