If you are of a certain vintage you may remember a time when this music that we all love was referred to in the music press as HR/HM – i.e. hard rock/heavy metal. For many bands, this was a very apt description for where they were musically. No arguments over whether a band was blackened post-metal or ambient atmospheric black metal in those days. Ahhh, simpler times.
Which brings me to King Witch. To my ears, they are unfairly straightjacketed with a doom metal pigeonhole. Yes, there are definite Sabbath and Candlemass influences in their sound but they also delve deeply into traditional metal and exhibit a well-developed aptitude in hitting that Alice in Chains/Soundgarden sweet spot where metal meets grunge. HR/HM!
You can have that range of influences and struggle to produce anything fresh or noteworthy. However, with their latest offering, King Witch III, they have produced an album of substance and maturity which surely rates as their strongest to date. Time to catch them live then.
First, the support bands. Having watched all three, a consistent theme seemed to be sludge, but it was difficult to tell the extent to which this was by design or just poor sound. First up, Acid Reflux probably had the most developed identity, giving off strong Kyuss vibes, albeit heavier and sludgier. Hemlock describe themselves as “desert rock” and are a two-piece with guitar/vocals and drums. I’ve no idea whether this is by design, but there didn’t really seem to be any stylistic or musical reason to not have a bass player. The second song featured a really fine guitar solo. More of this please! Injection struggled with sound. There were clearly parts where one of the guitarists was playing a solo, but it just wasn’t there to be heard. They struggled with other things too. Let’s just say that they’re on a learning curve.
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In fact, I really hope that all three support bands hung around to learn from King Witch, because they are a consummate rock band.
Opening with album track “Suffer In Life”, a groove-laden stomp of a song, they set the perfect tone for the rest of the show, building and pummelling toward the end before launching straight into the King Witch classic that is “Shoulders of Giants”. This is a muscular epic of a song with rolling, dexterous riffs and soaring vocals.
It’s difficult to pick out any one song that showcases vocalist Laura’s vocals because they are so powerful throughout. Not only does she have a formidable range, but as well as scale, she is able to apply texture to her singing too, at times almost operatic whilst at others resonant and soulful. There’s real personality as a frontwoman there too; not only stalking the stage and inhabiting the songs but not afraid to look the audience right in the eye.
The new album is well represented in the set list and both singles are given an airing: “Swarming Flies” – heavy, punchy and swaggering – and “Digging In The Dirt” – a rocking, danceable groove of a song. Laura introduces “Deal With The Devil” as relating to the original story about blues legend, Robert Johnson, who was said to have made a deal with the Devil at a crossroads in rural Mississippi where he sold his soul in return for musical genius. “Sea of Lies” evokes a bluesy doom feel with another soaring chorus.
Songs from earlier releases include the second album’s title track, Body of Light, “Lucid” and set closer “Of Rock and Stone”. Of these, “Lucid” is probably my personal favourite; an absolute beast of a track. Similar to Laura’s vocals, it’s difficult to pin down a track that particularly highlights Jamie Gilchrist’s fine guitar work, but the full range is on show in this track, from the piercing slide/bottleneck guitar through some balanced lead work and epic riffs. In my opinion, though, one of the strengths of King Witch from a compositional point of view is that, yes, there are riffs aplenty and the solos often shred, but they are also often more balanced and nuanced. King Witch are adept at knowing when to leave space between notes and let songs breathe.
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“Lucid”, along with “Sea of Lies”, is also a song in which the bass thunders, driving a real kick in the low end. I also have to mention the drumming during this gig. Apologies, I’m not sure who the current drummer is in King Witch, but this was an absolutely stellar performance. To say this guy is a powerhouse is a total understatement. Put it this way, I noticed him handing a couple of sticks out to punters at the end of the show and they were split at the fulcrum. This guy hits hard!
After set closer “Of Rock and Stone”, the band are cheered back on for an encore. And you know that way that sometimes a crowd and a band go through the motions at this point? Not tonight. This was a genuine and heartfelt demand from a crowd that wanted more.
And more they got. “Witches Mark” might not be full-on thrash metal, but it is certainly thrash-adjacent! A triumphant way to end the show, even if Jamie’s guitar cut out right at the very end!
King Witch are a behemoth of a live band. Catch them when you can!
King Witch’s III is available through Listenable Records
