We all love an album that seems to take an eternity to finish, but there is a certain art and grace to throwing down an entire 6 song record in just over 14 minutes. Seems pretty specific right? Well, that’s because Witch of the Waste has those exact numbers on their new slab of violence, Made of Teeth! And it’s no false advertising, so read more if you want see what this is all about!
Falling into the death/speed/violence categories of metal, Witch of the Waste simply doens’t give a fuck about trends or setting them. Their approach to music is strike first, strike hard, strike LOUD, and they do so with an energy to rival Converge or The Dillinger Escape Plan, both of whom they cite as influences. The hodgepodge of violent actions disguised as music simply tears off their records (the new Made of Teeth and 2013’s Russian Circles), and tries to beat you over the head with your own speakers. Their sound is clean, you can distinguish every note as it it cuts into your brain matter, and the vocals are simply scathing.
Made of Teeth is a manic tumble down a freeway, as the songs just hit and run with sub-3 minute lengths, with a full third under the 2 minute mark (The Door That Cannot Be Opened and It Was Always 3:00AM). Like Converge or TDEP, Witch of the Waste doesn’t exactly stick to classic song structure, instead blitzing the listener with a mix of very metallic guitars, extremely technical drumming, and a vocalist who sounds like he’s strung out after screaming at his padded wall for 3 days. It’s a molotov mixture that feels very satisfying, almost cathartic, as emotions just run at full speed throughout the album. It’s a harrowing listen, and you may feel like you’ve just come back from a fist fight.
The riffs, loosely used, are terrific, belying a talent on the strings not readily apparent to those that haven’t listened to the noisier styles of metal. They simply throw so much at once, it overwhelms a lot of the ear, so you may not have a whole lot of confidence on first listen. It’s really hard to say where to start, as the mix on the album actually has songs bleeding into one another. The first song, The Door That Cannot Be Opened, is instrumental, so that would be a good place, but really doesn’t give you a whole lot of what Witch of the Waste is about. It’s dark and building up to a destructive release, and is excellent for being so short. She Burst Into Snakes is probably my take-away track, simply because it makes a few fun shifts in speed and tone, and actually highlights a sublime bass line. The bass is actually highlighted at the end/beginning of several tracks, it’s absolutely amazing how the production makes this album feel so cohesive and deep. Just like the bruises it leaves.
If you’re interested in a short, well-rounded, brutal album, Made of Teeth by Witch of the Waste is free over at their bandcamp page!
EP Credits
Mark Mckitrick: recording engineer at Mark at Rain City Recorders
Curtis Buckoll: mixing the album Rain City Recorders
Stu Mckillop for mastering at Rain city
Ricky Castanedo: album cover and center label artwork
Jesse Cramer: vinyl insert artwork
Chris Lennox-Aasen: video
Bobby Lisle: Web design/ artwork
