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WYTCH
Exordium

Ripple Music (2021)
Rating: 7/10

Hailing from Sweden and starting life as Aska in 2016, Wytch is the latest band to hop onto the occult / doom / female-fronted bandwagon.

I have to admit to being very sceptical about this debut release from Wytch – I was curious as to whether it would be any different from the countless other bands on the circuit. And the answer is a resounding… sort of.

While vocalist Johanna Lundberg has a nice haunting voice, there’s really nothing to distinguish her from a cauldron of similar-sounding bands. But what I will say is that the quintet does have a slightly harder edge to their sound, rather than going on for aeons with sleepy, drone-like sludge.

Thankfully, Wytch do have some seriously good tunes too. Opener ‘Black Hole’ is a driving powerhouse of a track with a memorable chorus that truly hooks in as Johanna croons, “It’s getting dark and I cannot take this anymore”.

‘Savior’ begins slowly, a nice folky trickle of sorts with extra suspense in the music, and then gradually nods with subtlety before a killer riff emerges and rolls nicely. “I am your savior,” beams Johanna – I’m not totally convinced, but it’s all very pleasant as it strides confidently from the cornfields into the burning sun. And that’s where my heart lies with this. Exordium, even with its heavier segments, such as the racy ‘Evil Heart’ with its full-on rock n’ roll blitz, remains a pleasant experience that I warm to further with each listen.

‘Warrior’ rolls nicely in pure oily doom fashion. The feel is bewitching and suspenseful, but it does all sound so familiar as Johanna wails “I’m gonna ride you to the ground… ’til you can’t take anymore”, and I’m reminded, strangely, of Glenn Danzig at his most soaring and demonic.

‘Blood’ gets it’s psychedelic groove on, and it’s here I’m really appreciative of the twin axe attack of Niklas Viklund and Mattias Marklund; a creative team responsible for these mighty heaps of sharp yet doomy explorations as the backbeat of bassist Simon Lundström and drummer Fredrik Nilsson provide solid walls of vintage steel.

Elsewhere, ‘Break You Down’ begins in sassy fashion and I’m already visualising a devilish Burlesque act behind this heavy, nodding groove, while ‘Rebel’ begins as a sun-baked slice of psych-folk with steamy Doors-esque vibes and wispy vocal glow. Finally, ‘You’ rounds off the album nicely; a slow-builder with a stark yet almost menacing vocal sigh. And that’s the theme throughout, Wytch being mesmeric and haunting as one would expect from the band moniker.

However, even though every track is memorable, I still wonder if this combo has enough to differentiate it from the glut of similarly ghoulish bands that already fight for competition in the field. All seem to have spawned from the gloriously satanic afterbirth of Coven, but I find that it’s the quality of songs that will separate the wheat from the chaff.

For now though, Wytch are certainly a band to watch and Exordium is a very good debut album, even if it showcases a sound lacking any great identity.

Neil Arnold

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