Witchtanic Hellucinations

I remember the first time I discovered Acid Witch. Their extraordinary artwork and the rather typical stoner doom name intrigued me enough to give them a go. Naturally, I started with their first album Witchtanic Hellucinations. I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I heard surprised me, in a good way.

What you'll hear on this album is basically psychedelic stoner/doom metal with death metal vocals. The slow and heavy NWOBHM-inspired guitar riffs are quite simple, but catchy, and are supported by tight drumwork, a thick and solid bassline and a trippy, and quite cheesy, keyboard throughout the album.

There is a presence of humorous malice in this dark, but very impressive atmosphere, as if lead by Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight, and speaking of the atmosphere, it's a perfect album to blast on Halloween thanks to the cool, creepy and psychedelic guitar effects, the trippy and cleverly utilized keyboard, and of course the whole bubbling potions and cauldrons thing, all of which gives this album a very cartoonish horror/halloween feel.

Witchtanic Hellucinations is a very easy and fun listen, since the songs aren't that long. While most of the songs are catchy and very enjoyable, there are some fillers in between that aren't as memorable, but they aren't bad, just not as good as Swamp Spells, The Black Witch and October 31st, for instance.

If you're into this music genre, I think you'd love Acid Witch's Witchtanic Hellucinations. In fact, even if you aren't into this type of music, I think this is worth your time, because of the fantastic atmosphere!