Wytch - Exordium

Welcome to the ceremony. We will be discussing Sweden’s heavy rock/occult rock band Wytch and their debut album, Exordium. Some albums resonate with you instantly and leave a lasting impact. Exordium is one such album. It fires on all cylinders and delivers the goods in spades, my friends. As part of the Ripple Music label—quite probably the finest purveyor of heavy/stoner/doom music out there—the expectations were high for this release, and this female-fronted outfit doesn’t disappoint in the slightest.

Initially called Aska, this quintet fronted by the uniquely haunting Johanna Lundberg on lead vocals, renamed itself Wytch following the release of an EP in 2017. It’s a cool band name but their songs are less occult than you would expect from a band called Wytch. Nevertheless, don’t judge a band by its name as they are all skilled musicians and can hang with the best of them. It’s been stated a lot about this album, but it needs to be reiterated: Wytch’s brand of rock is a perfect fusion of Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath in their prime with a blues rock edge. An absolute delight to this listener’s ears!

This 39-minute, 8 song ceremony begins with “Black Hole”, with an infectious opening riff and its sing-along chorus; a real standout track on the album. Things slow down a notch for the next song, “Savior”, a more contemplative tune, with yet another catchy chorus. The album seems to follow a pattern of alternating between a fast song followed by a slower one, and so on and so forth, giving the record a good balance. “Savior” is meticulously crafted and proves to be just as solid as the opening cut. “Evil Heart” is a gloomier song with pulse-pounding rhythms, fast-paced, and fun. “Blood” slows things down and has got a retro bluesy vibe. Next up is “Warrior”; this one has a take-no-prisoners attitude, high energy, and provides a good showcase for the drummer. “Rebel” is a gem of a song and my second favorite on the record. It’s another slower-paced track which erupts at one point, a kind of ballad with teeth as they used to be called back in the day. The chanting of “Now is the time to rise, Lord of flies” will find its way into your brain and stick there. “Break You Down” is more of a reverse ballad, if there is such a thing. It’s melodic, catchy, distorted, and memorable, with some awesome guitar playing. The album closer, “You”, is my absolute favorite song on this superb record. It’s music to drive to on a desert highway wearing shades with the windows rolled down going way faster than the speed limit. The very definition of a classic rock tune.

Wytch’s Exordium is in my opinion a strong contender for album of the year thus far. I’d also go as far as say that it’s potentially Ripple Music’s best album released in 2021, and that’s saying a lot. Ripple have had a phenomenal year up to now in terms of bands and albums they’ve put out—maybe their best ever—and show no sign of slowing down. I’ve heard a lot of their output, but to me, Wytch takes the crown as the finest record of the year, five months into 2021. Do yourself a favor and add this record/digital album to your collection ASAP!

Ripple Music’s Wytch Bandcamp page: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/exordium

Book of Wyrms - Occult New Age

Book of Wyrms return with their third offering, Occult New Age, and their first on the Desert Records label. This album couldn’t have had a more appropriate title as it perfectly sums up its contents. And what a phenomenal album it is! In my humble opinion, it checks all the boxes of what makes a great occult/space rock/heavy psych/doom record: Atmospheric, a copious amount of fuzz, chock-full of psychedelic ‘70s vibes, haunting vocals, and great musicianship.

Sarah Moore Lindsey’s ethereal vocals and the quartet’s sludgy rhythms begin the spiritual journey on “Meteoric Dagger”. Next up, “Colossal Yield” has echoes of Sabbath and features a good blend of Magick and darkness with its retro ‘70s feel. “Albrionlilly” is a short, quiet, soothing acoustic interlude; the calm before the proverbial storm that will follow. With “Hollergoblin”, we have a strong contender for song of the year right here; cryptic, epic, and invoking a vintage sound. “Keinehora” puts the listener under a trance from the get-go and is a perfect psychedelic one-two punch along with “Hollergoblin”. “Speedball Sorcerer” is a pearl of a rock n’ roll song with organ playing that channels Jon Lord and Ray Manzarek. “Weatherworker” is another gem of a song about a summoning, with killer riffs and dueling guitars. The album’s closing cut, “Dracula Practice”, would make the Lord of the Undead proud and is worthy of the Prince of Darkness himself.

With its occult themes and songs about good and evil, Magick and summons, Occult New Age is a veritable spiritual trip. It can best be described as an album that evokes musical energy and paints images that really get you to feel its intensity. It lingers with you long after it ends and makes you yearn to experience it again soon. For fans of Hawkwind, occultism, space/stoner rock, and doom and all its variations, Book of Wyrms’ latest is a must have record!

Book of Wyrms’ Bandcamp page: https://bookofwyrms.bandcamp.com/music 

Mothman and The Thunderbirds - Into the Hollow

I’ve always been a sucker for concept albums. The prog rock genre and its cousins, metal and stoner, seem to lend themselves particularly well to concept albums. The focus of the record I’ll be reviewing today, Into the Hollow by Mothman and The Thunderbirds, is on the infamous Mothman, the creature first seen by hundreds of witnesses in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the late ‘60s. The legend of the Mothman was popularized by author John Keel in his 1975 book The Mothman Prophecies which was later turned into an excellent film starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney in 2002.

Mothman and The Thunderbirds is really a one-man band, that of musician extraordinaire Alex Parkinson. For his debut album, Alex aka Mothman and The Thunderbirds, unleashes an eclectic sludge and stoner metal album with elements of prog rock. However, I must preface this review by saying that this album contains some harsh/aggressive vocals and that’s typically not something I enjoy listening to, nor is it the kind of music that I review on this blog. I’ve made an exception for this album because that kind of singing works well here, for the most part, with the overall mood of the record and the end results proving to be quite melodic.

“Mothman Takes Flight” begins the sonic journey with some head-bobbing guitars and rhythms, followed by “Hollow Earth”, a catchy tune sung with the use of a vocoder that adds a nice layer to the song. Next up is “Nomad”, a hell of a good track with some excellent guitar work and one of the highlights of the album in my opinion. “Indrid Cold” follows, one of the two cuts I enjoyed the least; the vocals were a little too harsh for my taste on this one. “Infinite Ocean” sees guest vocalist Jason Roberts (of the one-man band "Breaths") handling vocal duties on some verses. It has prog rock tendencies, much to my delight, and does some very interesting stuff musically with the song’s tempo. Don’t let the odd title of the next song fool you, “The Simpsons = Real Footage”, because it’s a doozy! With guest singer, Kirby, adding some nice female vocals to the mix for this song about the sad state of the world today. “Agarthan Riders” is a solid song, and one of my favorites, with a killer guitar solo reminiscent of the good old days of metal, featuring Alex’s brother, Sam, on guitars. “Cloud Giant”, with Joe Sobieski on lead vocals, is the most radio-friendly track on the record with elements of psych rock and is a song of hope, about coming home. “Squonk” (no, this isn’t a cover of the 1976 Genesis song) clocking in at less than a minute serves as a prelude to “Roko’s Basilisk”, the second song I didn’t care for on the album due to harsh vocals—or my old ears just being too sensitive for that kind of singing in my old age. The ride comes to an end with “Hollow Sun”, an uplifting song to close the album with light triumphing over darkness.

While not for everybody, Into the Hollow is a fine album, full of musical prowess, terrific songwriting skills, and a very polished record overall. If you don’t mind harsh vocals every now and then, and are into great musicianship, you’re bound to have a good time with Mothman and The Thunderbirds’ debut album. Running at just over 30 minutes, as seems to be the growing trend for album runtimes these days, it makes for a short and speedy listen you’ll want to revisit often. The album is available for pre-order and will be released on May 21st.

Mothman and The Thunderbirds’ Bandcamp page: https://mothmanandthethunderbirds.bandcamp.com