Artist......: Witchskull
Album.......: A Driftwood Cross
Year........: 2020

Genre.......: Metal
Label.......: Rise Above Records
Cat.No......:

Source......: WEB (24bit)
Encoder.....: libFLAC
Quality.....: 1592kbps avg. / 44.1kHz / 2 channels

Playtime....: 00:38:29  (459.02MB)
R.date......: 2023-06-10
S.date......: 2020-04-24

Website.....: http://open.qobuz.com/album/y5o0k4xb3a13b

Disc 1 / 1

01. Black Cathedrals                                                4:56
02. Baphomet's Child                                                3:07
03. This Silent Place                                               3:40
04. The Red Altar                                                   5:47
05. Dresden                                                         5:35
06. March of Winter                                                 4:08
07. Nero Order                                                      5:21
08. A Driftwood Cross                                               5:55

Rise Above Records has been accused of having low standards for the artists
they sign, but I just don't see it. If they're not the best doom/stoner
label of all time, they're definitely in the top 3, because they've
produced plenty of now iconic bands occupying various niches within the
doom and stoner ecosystem, right from the very beginning. They've also been
at it for a while, getting institutions like Orange Goblin and Electric
Wizard off the ground over 2 decades ago, but still producing tons of
noteworthy acts all the time since then. Australia's Witchskull is one of
their newer acquisitions, but they've already released 3 full-lengths in
the span of just 5 years. A Driftwood Cross from 2020, though, is most
likely to be their breakthrough release, with its outward accessibility and
grooviness.

The music on Witchskull's 2020 full-length is most comparable to Cathedral
circa The Carnival Bizarre, but slightly more obviously stoner metal
influenced than traditional doom-based, for although the riffs may be
winding at times, the progressions feel more hypnotic than balls-out heavy
or crunchy. Another palpable comparison would be the early albums from The
Sword, since both bands offer groove and hook based stoner metal with more
mid-range sounding and somewhat nasally vocals. Certainly, the vocals here
have character and charisma to them, especially in the refrains of the
songs, but the compositions leave something to be desired. The bass is the
main thing carrying the instrumentation along or giving it any character,
because the guitar tone is fairly indistinct. As a result, the loud bass in
the mix saves the day. Still, the actual meat and potatoes of the riffs are
by-the-numbers fare for heavy metal, stoner metal, or doom metal, spiced up
only by the previously mentioned bass and the admittedly cool melodies
which consist of brief guitar phrases distinguished by hammer-ons or
slides.

So we've established that the compositions here need work, because they're
not that involved and I prefer heavy/stoner metal to be riffier. However,
what really earns the points for A Driftwood Cross is the feel of the
music. They do a lot with a little, I'll say that much. The hazy, but still
smooth, production is part of it, but furthermore, the direction of the
songwriting has a tendency towards atmosphere. The result is that it's got
a bit of a 60's/70's occult rock feel to it (see the somewhat ambient
section in "The Red Altar" or the subtle guitar intervals coupled with the
ritualistic drumming in the verses of "Nero Order"). Really, Rise Above
Records is known for fostering very experience-driven bands, (Ghost is more
of a brand than a band) so Witchskull definitely fit into that niche with
their occult feel.

A Driftwood Cross needs more musical substance to be exceptional at the end
of the day, but the overall tone of the music will keep you coming back to
a certain extent. Witchskull have raw talent and unabashed potential, and
the good thing about being a young and relatively prolific band is that
they are more than likely to reach this potential before fading from
relevance.