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WITCH MOUNTAIN
Witch Mountain

Svart (2018)
Rating: 8/10

Having seemingly been idle for four years, Portland, Oregon-based doomsters Witch Mountain return with their fifth opus armed with a new vocalist in Kayla Dixon and a new bassist in Justin Brown, who join long-standing members Rob Wong (guitar) and Nathan Carson (drums).

I was a big fan of their last album, 2014’s Mobile Of Angels, and this five track affair doesn’t disappoint either. The outing kicks of with the monolithic ‘Midnight’ where Kayla Dixon provides a haunting, eerie wail as many of us have become accustomed to with the trend of female vocalists within this genre. However, Dixon does a fine job; her tones caressing the hazy traipse of guitar, drum and bass, but also providing an unexpected grizzly rasp at times.

The cover rendition of the 1968 Spirit song ‘Mechanical World’ provides more of a jabbing, Black Sabbath-styled prod as the effective vocal croons drift ghost-like over the fat, blubbery riffage. However, it’s the two longer tracks – ‘Burn You Down’ (7:40) and ‘Nighthawk’ (14:17) – which really bolster this platter and take it to greater heights. The former starts as a doomy, suspenseful tirade before the drums take over and we find ourselves immersed by an eerie, thoughtful trudge before the combo resorts to a pensive roll.

‘Nighthawk’, meanwhile, begins as an ominous trickle, Witch Mountain suddenly providing a weird soundtrack of sorts akin to Twin Peaks before the weight is added; slow, pensive thick rolls within which Dixon’s vocals soar like dark wisps of smoke emerging from some mountainous landscape. It’s certainly a slow-burner as the guitars fizz with anticipation and the drums jab in slow-motion. The reality is, ‘Nighthawk’ never really quickens from its lumber of slumber, this mighty yet thought-provoking tune being a mere slow ooze until the nine-minute mark when the members come together to provide a hefty wall of thundering doom and Dixon’s vocals take on a real menacing streak.

But Dixon is more than just a doom metal frontwoman; expressing soul, subtlety and fire gives her performance a mesmerising edge, and in turn these variations are expressed in the music too as the combo showcases varying moods, taking the doom metal ethos to lighter levels.

With so many bands providing same-sounding occult-fused metal in today’s climate, Witch Mountain continue to progress and on this latest offering the tunes served up are far from being doom-by-numbers compositions. It’s just a shame then that there’s not more to indulge oneself in, but as it stands Witch Mountain is a very good record and Kayla Dixon is quite a find.

Neil Arnold

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