This review is incredibly late, but I have reasons. Some are personal, but some made me think the Metal Gods (RIP Ozzy) were working against me. In one instance, when I tried to sit down and finish this out, my headphones wouldn’t pair even when perfectly charged. Another time, they somehow weren’t charged at all (to prove the nonsense, I haven’t charged them since then, and they’re fine). Then, my laptop wouldn’t turn on. My iPod (I still have one and you can eat shit for judging) then wouldn’t power on and wouldn’t charge. Despite all of this, I felt Atomic Witch had earned my perseverance.

Having seen the band more than half a dozen times, I was looking forward to full-length #2, Death Etiquette. Songs such as “Worms & Dirt” confirm the wait was worthwhile. It’s a straight-up banger relying heavily on their death/thrash influences, which only barely exceeds the three-minute mark. An engaging verse riff begins the track. This includes the semblance of a hook, which reappears around two minutes in, just before everything gets furious. It also wouldn’t be an Atomic Witch track without the dual vocals of Gorg the Impaler screaming and King Dagon adding his occasional falsettos.

Speaking of the falsettos, it would be appropriate to mention they open the album on “Morgue Rat,” trading off with the growls. The furious, galloping main riff lasts most of the track, except when a proggy Death sequence takes over. Then the solo ends the song after around two minutes. Sometimes, that’s long enough. No jokes, please.

Of course, the recent death of The Prince of Darkness comes to mind when I see the title “Sabbath Breaker,” although there’s no doom here, only furious thrash. At under 3 minutes, there are two chorus repetitions within the first minute and a half. There’s no breakdown in metal quite like one in a thrash song, and I’ll take that to my grave, deathcore. The one starting directly after that second hook lasts almost to the end. The solo places the breakdown in the background, which is usually where I have my mental ones. This track is one of the best as it has a hook and bludgeons the listener with it.

Nearing the end, “Skelecidal” is just too damn good a song title not to mention. An almost bouncy riff starts it before a wall of noise takes over for a few moments. The grunt and slower section changed the track halfway through, which leads the way for a succulent solo.

It is at this point that I must profess the negative, and I hate it because I really like Atomic Witch. I must be fair, though. Death Etiquette is not as good as Crypt of Sleepless Malice. There are no true standout tracks such as “70,000 Skulls” or “Too Rotten to Die” to get stuck in my head on repeat. While that album was quite the surprise, Death Etiquette doesn’t have that luxury, so perhaps that is also part of it. While it’s good, it feels as though these songs weren’t quite as fleshed out. Perhaps that’s due to the album being only 27 minutes, but it’s not as though the debut was much longer.

I suggest giving it a listen if you previously enjoyed what the band has to offer, and perhaps it will treat you better, but I’m sticking with Crypt of Sleepless Malice when I need to worship the (new) witch.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments