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ACID WITCH
Rot Among Us

Hells Headbangers (2022)
Rating: 7/10

When this bunch of morbid souls from Detroit, Michigan broke back in 2008 with their debut cauldron Witchtanic Hallucinations I thought I’d be under the spell forever more, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, I find myself drifting to and from their brand of goofy horror metal in spite of the macabre atmosphere the combo creates.

‘5508 Martin St.’ is what notified me that a new album was coming. It’s a typically slime-coated trudge into the annals of horror drenched in throaty vocal croons and a guitar tone that leads you down a misty path into a graveyard of ghouls.

Even so, as Acid Witch unleashes its fourth full-length cocktail of creepiness I’m left puzzled as to why I rarely visit their VHS rental shop of rot. Maybe Acid Witch – through all their doomy splendour – were just puking up something akin to stoner metal but with extra layers of cheese? Anyway, I’ve been more than willing to pay for another ticket on the Acid Witch ghost train, and it’s fair to say I like this new splattery platter.

Opener ‘Gather Each Witch’ is very much heavy metal hocus pocus with sizzling leads and atmosphere, even though it primarily exists as an introductory chant before the sinister grooves of the title track are among us. Very much doom-infused, ‘Rot Among Us’ provides an interesting number while maintaining a Mercyful Fate / King Diamond glint in its bloodshot eye at all times without ever straining into such musical or vocal territory.

Acid Witch is ideal music – as intended – for Halloween, but I’m not sure their appeal transcends beyond that in spite of some gloriously gothic escapades on this rich, rewarding and bubbling record. Of the ten tracks on offer, all of which provide an autumnal charm, there’s a boyish nature resulting in comedic touches that tend to go over my head, which is strange considering my obsession with horror nostalgia.

‘The Sleeper’ has a drowsy rumble to its expansive trawl, but it’s standard doom / stoner fare in reality as is the distorted fuzz of ‘Pschedeathic Swampnosis’ which boasts what sounds like a spooky flute-like entry.

It’s hard to resist the psychedelic permeations of the band as they drag you into their fluorescent mire of weirdness. ‘Devil’s Night Doom’ takes the classic Tony Iommi riff and marches through the cemetery with ghoulish delight, while ‘Evil Dad (Dad By Dawn’) is the typically sensational horror squawk I’d expect from the gang. But for me the best of the bunch are ‘Tommyrotters’ with its sinister trudges and the swampy, gruelling ooze of ‘Chelsea Didn’t Come Home Last Night’.

Oddly though, the new Acid Witch is peculiarly predictable; a trudging terror train that’s typically spooktacular in its journey but one which also runs out of steam throughout.

Maybe extra eye of newt, wing of bat and skin of toad is what’s needed for future issues, but when one considers how long we’ve waited (five years since the last outing, 2017’s Evil Sound Screamers) Rot Among Us rambles like one of those overly talky 80s slasher flicks that attracts through its cover art and initial visit but succumbs to tracking issues at the midway point.

Neil Arnold

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